X Men: Past, Present, Future
by ricewriter
Summary: Inspired by the films and comics, X-Men: Past, Present, Future follows three separate alternative timelines. Each of the timelines reference and allude to each other. AU, eventual romances- some same sex. Will end on 50th chapter.
1. Stories 1

**X-Men: Past, Present, Future**

_Inspired by the films and comics, X-Men: Past, Present, Future follows three separate timelines in the X-Men universe. Each timeline is separated by many years, with the Past storyline happening before the year 2000. The present storyline takes place in 2012, the year this story is currently being written. The future storyline takes place in the year 2022 and beyond. It is clear that each of the timelines affect each other and the stories intertwine._

_**Just to Clarify: **This is inspired by the films for the following reasons: how every character is officially a mutant. Not an alien, or magic being or anything else like in the comics. Also, when characters are invovled, I just expect people to think of the actors/actresses who play them. For characters that never appear on film, you are free to interpret them anyway you want. Just imagine this story as a my version of how the movies should have gone and how the characters should be like in the films. For instance Wolverine will be in the story but he will not be the focus as how the real film portrayed the story. Also, Storm's personality will be more true to the comic books, but her background may not. I want this to be about the X-Men and the discrimination of mutants. You won't be finding magic, vampires, aliens and such in this story. Sorry for the confusion!_

**Past Chapter 1: Evolution Begins**

1944 in Poland, 8 year old Erik Lehnsherr held his mother's hand as they walked on the muddy ground alongside other prisoners. Like a herd of cattle, they entered the gates of a concentration camp guarded by a tall metal fence and an army of Nazi soldiers. Erik was scared for his life and his family's life. Although he wasn't there to witness the death of his father, he could still hear the three gunshots that killed his father while he hid under his bed. All he had left in the world was his mother, and without her, he knew he wouldn't be able to survive.

A Nazi soldier approached Erik and said something in German that Erik couldn't understand. The soldier yelled and then split Erik's hand from his mother's. The soldier then called for two other soldiers to take Erik's mother in a different direction. Erik tried to grab for his mother's hand, but the commanding soldier grabbed him first. Erik panic and began to scream for his mother. His mother screamed back, desperately begging the soldiers to let her be with her son. As Erik reached for his mother, he felt a tingling sensation in his fingers. Something was pulling him towards his mother, which was making the soldier begin to lose his grip on Erik. The force from his fingers was growing stronger and stronger, and eventually other Nazi soldiers and prisoners were noticing the metal fence was bending. The top of the fence seemed to be collapsing, and the middle was bending in the direction of Erik. Three other Nazi soldiers ran to aid the commanding soldier on controlling Erik. They too were being pulled by a force that they couldn't explain. Erik's mother was taken into a building, and Erik lost sight of her. Erik cried out for his mother one last time, until another soldier used the handle of his firearm to knock Erik out. The soldiers and the prisoners looked around, wondering what had happen. The top half of the metal fence had moved a few inches, and some parts were completely twisted and broken. This was the first sign of Erik's mutation.

1949, in New York, 8 year old Charles Xavier accompanied his mother to an orphanage. His mother was making a donation to the orphanage because she said it was important for her to give to those who were less fortunate. Charles knew it was because she can look good to the socialites that she associated herself with. He knew this because he has the ability to read people's minds. Unfortunately, his mother and father had forbidden him to read anyone's mind unless he is asked to do so by his mother and father. Charles however, constantly broke that rule.

Charles and his mother were greeted by a middle age woman. She was the head of the orphanage, a woman who was dedicated to helping orphaned children. As she met with Charles and his mother, she was holding the hand of a young girl with black hair and ice blue eyes.

"Irene, correct?" Charles' mother asked.

"Yes, " the head of the orphanage replied. "I am Irene, the orphanage director. You must be Mrs. Xavier. We are very thankful for your donation."

"Anything I can do to help the children," Charles' mother replied as she took a check from her purse and handed it to Irene. "And who is this pretty little girl?" Charles' and his mother looked at the young girl who held a tight grip on Irene's delicate hand.

"This is Raven. She's one of the children here," Irene responded. "Say hello Raven." Raven did not say hello and instead buried her face into Irene's side.

"Don't be shy," Charles' mother said. "How old are you Raven?"

"Eight," Raven murmured with her face still buried into Irene's side.

"Eight?" Asked a confused Mrs. Xavier. "How is that possible, Charles is eight and you look to be three or four."

"Raven ages very slowly," Irene replied. "It is something doctors cannot explain."

"Well then, I hope they find the answer soon. We must be going now. Say goodbye to Irene and Raven, Charles."

"Goodbye," Charles complied. Raven turned her head to look into Charles' eyes and whispered a soft goodbye back.

Irene and Raven watched as Charles and his mother exited the orphanage. "I wonder if I will see him again," Raven asked.

Irene's eyes turned solid white and she began to twitch her head. Raven backed a few steps away, but she was not afraid-she had seen this happened several times before. Irene then calmed herself and her eyes returned to normal. She then gazed into Raven's ice blue eyes and smiled.

"Did you have another vision?" Raven asked.

"Yes," Irene's answered.

"What did you see?"

"Your future. Our future. The future for all of us."

"Who is all of us?"

"You, me, the boy we just met. Everyone like us."

"You mean the boy? He's like me?" Raven then transformed her body into its true form. She was blue and had blue scales on her face, arms and legs. Her hair was red and short, and her eyes were yellow like a reptile.

"Not exactly like you, but he is one of us." Irene said as she held Raven's hand.

**Present Chapter 1: Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters**

2012, in New York, a beautiful mansion surrounded by a forest and hills, an hour away from the city was home to many young mutants. Inside the mansion, Charles Xavier who is now 71 years old and bald was teaching a class of mutant students. An event in the past has caused him to be paralyzed from the waist down, now forcing him to use a wheelchair to be move around. The mansion was Charles' childhood home, that now acts as a school and safe haven for young mutants. Charles was the head of the school, which he named "Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters". Not only was he the head, but he was also a teacher, who was passionate about educating his students as well as helping them control their mutant powers. Charles adopted the name Professor X, given to him by his students many years ago.

"...and would Socrates approve of punishment?" Professor X asked. A young girl raised her hand to answer the question. "Yes, Kitty?"

"He would have advocated pity for the criminal and education to bring the criminal out of their ignorance." Kitty answered.

"But if the criminal was truly ill and there was no helping him, then Socrates would have approved of punishment," rebuttal a young boy.

"Very good Julian. Very good as well Kitty," Professor X praised. "That's the end of the lecture for today. Please read over your notes, tomorrow there will be a quiz on everything we learned up to this point."

After the students left the classroom, Professor X telepathically called for his X-Men team to come to the classroom. The X-Men were a team of mutants who were taught and trained by Professor X many years ago, and who are now working as teachers for the school. As teachers, they are mentors to their students and teach what they are passionate about. As X-Men they fight against major threats to the school, and threats to the mutant population of America. There is even a Junior division that fight against lesser crimes, and is a type of training for students who wish to join the X-Men in the future.

The X-Men consist of:

**Scott Summers**, (age 29) codename: Cyclops. History teacher, Automotives teacher and leader of the X-Men. Mutation: Able to shoot powerful energy from his eyes.

**Ororo Munroe**, (age 29) codename: Storm. Social Studies teacher, school counsellor and second in command of the X-Men. Mutation: Able to control the weather.

**Dr. Hank McCoy**, (age 45) codename: Beast. Science teacher, school doctor, and researcher and inventor for the X-Men. Mutation: Superhuman strength, superhuman agility and animal like behaviour as well as appearance, although with blue fur.

**Peter Rasputin**, (age 28) codename: Colossus. Math teacher, culinary teacher and leader of Junior X-Men. Mutation: Able to transform his body into solid metal and in this state he gains superhuman strength.

**Warren Worthington III**, (age 25) codename: Angel. English teacher, and public relations correspondent for the school. Mutation: White bird-like wings on his back, giving him the appearance of an angel.

**Jean Grey**. (age 29) Teacher for all students between the ages of 6 to 11. Mutation: Telepathy and telekinesis.

The Junior X-Men consist of:

**Kitty Pryde**, (age 16) codename: Shadowcat. Mutation: Able to walk through solid objects and obstacles.

**Julian Keller**, (age 16) codename: Hellion. Mutation: Telekinesis.

**Sooraya Qadir**, (age 16) codename: Dust. Mutation: Able to transform her body into sand.

**Max Jordan**, (age 16) codename: Quill. Mutation: Can contract/retract sharp needles from his body.

"How many more classes do you all have to teach?" Professor X asked his X-Men team.

"I have two," Beast answered.

"I have one," Storm answered.

"I have one as well," Angel answered.

"Same," Colossus answered.

"I'm done for the day," Cyclops answered "same for Jean."

"Good," Professor X replied. "Senator Robert Kelly will be dropping by after 4. I want you all there to help with the tour. Especially Angel."

"Of course," Angel responded. "I am in charge of public relations."

"Indeed you are," Professor X commented. "You handled the media very well these past four months."

"I'm sorry but I'm going to be late for my next class," Storm said. "See you all later." Storm, Beast, Angel, and Colossus walked out of the classroom together.

"Professor," Cyclops began. "Do you think tonight, you could..." Cyclops stopped. He wasn't able to sum up the courage to ask.

"Could what?" Professor X asked. Cyclops shook his head and ran out of the room.

"You know what he wants Professor," Jean stated, "without reading his mind."

"Yes, I do," Professor X replied. "But it is not the time."

"I'll go talk to him," Jean said as she left the room.

Professor X moved to his desk and pulled out an old photograph from the drawer. It was a photograph of him many years ago, standing with another man who looked only a few years older than him, a young woman with auburn brown hair, and another young woman with blonde hair.

"Where are you old friend?"

**Future Chapter 1: Revolution Begins**

2022, on the streets of New York, in an area that is clearly dangerous and neglected, 27 year old Shadowcat makes her way down a street with very few people. Police sirens stopped Shadowcat from moving forward. She turned around to be greeted by two police officers.

"Mutant?" One of the officers asked.

"Yes," Shadowcat replied.

"Card," the officer commanded. Shadowcat reached in her pocket and pulled out her wallet. She then pulled out an I.D card that had her photo on it. The card stated her name, her date of birth, her mutant classification, and her mutant ability on the back.

"Class 2?" The officer asked.

"That's right," Shadowcat answered.

"You're not much of a threat according to the government," the other officer stated."But it says here you can walk through solid objects. Doesn't that mean you can walk through walls?"

"Yes," Shadowcat replied.

"Well what's stopping you from walking into a bank? Or the White House? Or even worse, my grandma's apartment? I'll say you're more of a threat than some other mutants. You should be considered a class 4 or even a class 5."

"A class 4 would be a threat to national security," Shadowcat stated. "And a class 5 would mean I could destroy the whole planet if I wanted to. I don't think walking through a wall will destroy the Earth."

"Don't give me shit you pathetic mutant," the officer responded. The other officer handed Shadowcat back her card, and then both got back in their car and drove away.

Shawdowcat walked down the block and turned right and entered an apartment building. She entered an apartment, where a man was watching television. The man was 28 year old, Bobby Drake, codename: Iceman. His mutation allowed him to create ice from his body as well as transforming his body into ice.

"There's another riot in Los Angeles right now," Iceman said. "I wish I was there."

"Even after what happened in Las Vegas?" Shadowcat questioned.

"I just want to be a part of the revolution," Iceman stated.

"You are," Shadowcat replied as she went into the kitchen to grab a soda. "We just need to find them."

"Well, Nightcrawler is in San Francisco right now looking for those two," Iceman responded.

"And Wind Dancer says she will definitely join after she finishes other business in Florida."

"Who else are we missing?" Iceman asked.

"A lot," Shadowcat answered. "But for now we'll take whoever we can find."

"Would any of the older ex-members want to join?"

"I can only think of Storm right now," Shadowcat answered. "But I lost contact with her. Do you think you can contact Rogue?"

"No," Iceman answered, "I just can't. I promised myself I was never going to see her again."

"That was in highschool, Bobby," Shadowcat said. "You need to get over it. It's been over 10 years."

"Let's just forget about Rogue and focus on mutants who would actually join us."

"We're going to need a new base of operations."

"We could ask to use the Frost mansion, since Xavier's is now a pile of nothing."

"I don't know about that," Shadowcat responded with much doubt. "Do you think she'll be in favour of former Xavier students asking to borrow her house so they can form the new X-Men?"

To be continued...


	2. Stories 2

**X-Men: Past, Present, Future**

_Inspired by the films and comics, X-Men: Past, Present, Future follows three separate timelines in the X-Men universe. Each timeline is separated by many years, with the Past storyline happening before the year 2000. The present storyline takes place in 2012, the year this story is currently being written. The future storyline takes place in the year 2022 and beyond. It is clear that each of the timelines affect each other and the stories intertwine._

_**Just to Clarify: **_This is inspired by the films for the following reasons: how every character is officially a mutant. Not an alien, or magic being or anything else like in the comics. Also, when characters are invovled, I just expect people to think of the actors/actresses who play them. For characters that never appear on film, you are free to interpret them anyway you want. Just imagine this story as a my version of how the movies should have gone and how the characters should be like in the films. For instance Wolverine will be in the story but he will not be the focus as how the real film portrayed the story. Also, Storm's personality will be more true to the comic books, but her background may not. I want this to be about the X-Men and the discrimination of mutants. You won't be finding magic, vampires, aliens and such in this story. Sorry for the confusion!

**Past Chapter 2: Enter Emma**

In 1955, 14 year old Charles Xavier was dressed formally for a party at his mansion, hosted by his parents. Charles was familiar with the routine. He must say hello to every adult, and he must repeat the same information. He's 14, he attends New York Private School, and yes, he still plays piano. The only thing he enjoyed about these functions was to see his friend Emma Frost. She was a sweet hearted girl in front of adults, but she was a wild child when Charles and her were alone. Like, Charles her parents also forbid her to use her telepathy powers which she began to develop around the age 5, after she got into a terrible car accident that left her in a coma for three weeks.

"Say hello to Mr. and Mrs. Frost, Charles," Charles' mother commanded.

"Hello," Charles said. The young boy smiled at Emma who was standing across from him wearing a white laced dress.

"Why don't you and Emma go get something to drink," Charles' mother suggested.

The two teenagers walked across the room full of chattering adults and stopped at the table of beverages. They were forbidden to drink any alcoholic drinks, so they settled for soda.

"Another party full of stupid adults who don't know how to have fun," Charles said to Emma.

"We can always have our own fun," Emma said with a smirk.

The teenagers made their way to the second floor balcony and looked up at the stars. There was a bit of a breeze in the air, but nothing too cold for a Spring evening. Charles noticed Emma's blonde hair slightly dancing in the air, which gave her a mysterious and attractive aura.

"Your hair looks good tonight," Charles complimented.

"Quit it with the compliments," Emma replied. "Charles, I'm bored."

"Well the party is boring," Charles responded.

"I meant I'm bored with my life," Emma corrected. "It's boring party this, business dinner that. I want to go out and have fun. I want to drink, kiss boys and...and...and have sex!"

"Emma, you're only 14," Charles stated. He knew Emma had something on her mind. He wanted to find out. But he was afraid she would be able to sense him in her head. After a few seconds, he couldn't resist the urge to read her mind. He entered it and saw the face of a man. The man smiled and called Emma's name. Emma broke out of her gaze at the stars and glared at Charles. She knew he was using his telepathy.

"You're wondering who this man is?" Emma asked with ice in her words.

"Yes."

"His name is Sebastian Shaw. I'm not too sure what business dealings he has with my parents, but he has visited my house three times. Every time he visits, he flirts with me. I can't stop thinking about him."

"He's a pedophile."

"He's the man I'm going to marry."

1962, 21 year old Charles has just gotten his degree in Biological Science and was having a celebratory dinner with his mother and father at a fancy restaurant.

"I'm so proud of you son," Charles' father said.

"Thank you father," Charles replied as he took a sip of his champagne.

"The university wants you to continue to do research for them right?" Charles' father asked.

"Yes," Charles replied. "There's so much more we need to know about evolution. It is the key to our survival."

"Oh honey, I love how passionate you are about science," said Charles' mother. "It's just a shame the Frost's aren't alive to see your great achievement. Emma would have been so happy for you." Charles became quiet. He remembered the day when he found out that Mr. and Mrs. Frost was found dead in their mansion, just two years ago. Emma's body was never found but she was assumed to be dead after a year of searching for her. However, Charles knows that is not the case. For the past two years, he can feel Emma's mind somewhere in the world. However, his mutation is not powerful enough to pin point her exact location. Emma is somewhere in the world, becoming someone she desires to be. Becoming someone Charles fears.

**Present Chapter 2: Crush**

Jean entered the bedroom she shared with Cyclops to find him sitting on the bed with his face in his hands. She closed the door and sat next to her fiancé on the bed, stroking his back, trying to comfort him.

"You know he's just busy," stated Jean.

"He's been busy for the last few years," Cyclops responded.

"These past few years, people have been more and more aggressive with us," Jean replied. "The Professor has a lot on his plate."

"I just wish he could do the same things he tried doing the first few times we got here," Cyclops stated. "Even on the first try using Cerebro, we were able to find a location. We just got there too late."

"It's ok, Scott," Jean said. "The Professor knows how important it is for you to find your brother."

"I just know Alex is out there somewhere," Scott replied. "I just don't know why the Professor has stopped looking when I can feel how close we are to finding him."

Down in the kitchen, Kitty, Julian, and another student, Sofia Mantega, were making chicken pot pies under the instructions of Colossus.

"Did we forget to preheat the oven?" Kitty asked.

"We're going to bake these at 5, so they'll be ready for dinner at 6," Colossus replied.

"I hope these turn out well," Sofia stated.

"It's my recipe!" Colossus exclaimed. "It will be fantastic."

"All your recipes are fantastic!" Kitty replied with a huge grin on her face.

"Thank you, Kitty," Colossus said. "You're so sweet. I better get clean up for the visit today." Colossus removed his apron and exited the kitchen.

"All your recipes are fantastic!" Julian mocked.

"Shut up!" Kitty yelled.

"You seriously need to get over your feelings for Colossus. He's like twice your age!" Julian said.

"He is not!" Kitty yelled. "He's only 28."

"But, Kitty," Sofia responded. "You're only 16."

"Sofia!" Kitty began. "Don't tell me you never had a crush on someone who was older than you!"

"No, never!" Sofia said. "I've only had a crush on one guy before, and he was my age."

"Oh?" an intrigued Kitty responded. "Who is he? Is he someone here? Is he Julian?" Julian began to blush and avoided looking Sofia in the eyes."

"No," Sofia said. "The guy is back home in Florida...he was my first and only crush."

"Let's talk about something else!" Julian yelled.

"Calm down," Kitty replied.

"How about this visit we have today," Julian began. "This senator guy could shut the school down."

"No he can't," Kitty responded. "They need to put it for a vote first."

"I'm scared that the country will vote against Proposition X," Sofia said. "Too bad we can't vote yet."

"Bobby and Kurt are going to vote," Kitty stated. "Hopefully, Rogue would too."

"They need to come back and visit us!" Sofia stated. "Well at least Bobby and Kurt. I don't know if Rogue would want to come back after what happened."

"That was a scary night," Julian responded. The three students thought of the evening that made their friend Rogue leave the school. It was an evening no one would ever forget.

**Future Chapter 2: Storm's Decision**

Shadowcat and Iceman watched the clock in silence as they waited for their visitor. The buzzer rung and Shadowcat quickly answered it. The voice was a elegant female voice, a voice that Iceman and Shadowcat missed. After a few minutes, there was a knock on the door. Shadowcat opened the door to see Storm, now 39 years old.

"Hello, Kitty," Storm greeted. "Hello, Bobby. It is good to see both of you."

"It's good to see you too," Kitty replied. "Please come in." Storm made her way to the kitchen table and sat down on a chair.

"Would you like something to drink?" Iceman asked.

"I'm ok for now, but thank you," Storm replied. "Tell me why you wanted me to come today."

"I think you know why," Shadowcat replied.

"It's about the revolution isn't it?" Storm asked.

"Yes," Iceman responded. "We want you to join us in helping reform the X-Men."

"It's been so long," Storm responded. "I don't think it will work."

"It worked 10 years ago," Shadowcat replied. "Remember all the battles and victories we had?"

"But that was when we had more freedom," Storm remarked. "It's more difficult now."

"Please, Storm," Shadowcat begged. "We need your help. We need you to help guide us."

"But what about Beast or Angel?" Storm asked. "Why can't they help you?"

"We don't know where Beast is," Iceman replied. "And Angel said he would only join if you join."

"So it's up to me to get you guys us older members to join?" Storm asked with doubt.

"Yes," Iceaman answered. "We need your help."

"I do know where Beast is," Storm stated. "But I don't think he has the fight in him like he use to...even back then he didn't have much of a fight. He always wanted to be more on the supporting side, unlike me. Throw some Brotherhood at me and I would try to strike them with some lightning."

"That's the spirit we need!" Shadowcat stated. "Please, Storm. We need you to join us. We need to fight back. Do it for the Professor."

"Okay," Storm responded. "I will join you. I will help you reform the X-Men. Under one condition."

"What is it?" Iceman asked.

"You help me find Cyclops first," Storm said sternly.

To be continued...


	3. Stories 3

**X-Men: Past, Present, Future**

_Inspired by the films and comics, X-Men: Past, Present, Future follows three separate timelines in the X-Men universe. Each timeline is separated by many years, with the Past storyline happening before the year 2000. The present storyline takes place in 2012, the year this story is currently being written. The future storyline takes place in the year 2022 and beyond. It is clear that each of the timelines affect each other and the stories intertwine._

****Just to Clarify: ****This is inspired by the films for the following reasons: how every character is officially a mutant. Not an alien, or magic being or anything else like in the comics. Also, when characters are invovled, I just expect people to think of the actors/actresses who play them. For characters that never appear on film, you are free to interpret them anyway you want. Just imagine this story as a my version of how the movies should have gone and how the characters should be like in the films. For instance Wolverine will be in the story but he will not be the focus as how the real film portrayed the story. Also, Storm's personality will be more true to the comic books, but her background may not. I want this to be about the X-Men and the discrimination of mutants. You won't be finding magic, vampires, aliens and such in this story. Sorry for the confusion!

**Past Chapter 3: Murder at the Frost Mansion**

1960, at the Frost's mansion, 19 year old Emma was in her bedroom, trying to fall asleep. She was having trouble because she was keeping a secret from her parents. She dropped out of university because she had no intentions on going to school. She wanted to be free from the chains of a normal life and live a life full of excitement and adventure. She knew her parents would be angry with her, but she was angry with them when they forbid her from pursuing a career in modeling. But she had to tell them, and if it meant that she would have to leave her wealth behind, then she will.

She got out of her bed and walked out of her bedroom to her parent's bedroom. She called for their names but they were not in their bed. She heard noises coming from downstairs so she decided to quietly investigate. From the staircase she was able to see her parents, acting frantically. There were other people in the living room with them. A handsome man in a red suite, an older gentleman in a navy suite and white cape, a heavyset man in a green suite, a woman in a purple dress, and Sebastian Shaw. Emma's eyes widen when she saw her crush Sebastian Shaw, who she hadn't seen in three years. She had been in love with him all these years.

"We promise to give you the money in the next few months," Mr. Frost said.

"We wanted the money last month," Sebastian Shaw stated.

"Please," Mrs. Frost begged. "We need a little more time. The business is not fairing so well."

"That's why we gave you the money last year," Sebastian Shaw said. "Your business of foreign stocks was suppose to help the U.S economy out, which is a part of the plan. When the economy gets help, then we can influence the president to raise taxes. And since the Hellfire Club has a hand in the government, those taxes could help fund the war."

"What war?" Mr. Frost asked.

"The war we've been waiting on for years," Sebastian replied. "The nuclear war."

"Why do you want a nuclear war?" Mr. Frost asked.

"Sorry, Frost, but I can't disclose that information to you," Sebastian stated. "I actually shouldn't have told you anything. I guess I have to kill you now...oh well, I was going to kill you anyway for not having our money."

Emma ran down the stairs and into the living room. She was standing right between her parents and the intruders. She was afraid, because she wasn't sure why she came out from hiding.

"Emma!" Mr. and Mrs. Frost yelled out.

"Oh, Emma," Sebastian exclaimed. "My, oh my. I haven't seen you in so long. How beautiful you look! You are growing up to be a very beautiful woman."

"She's a mutant," the woman in the purple dress stated.

"Is she now?" Sebastian asked. "Frost, how come you never told me you had a mutant daughter?"

"A mutant?" Mr. Frost asked. "She's my daughter. What's a mutant?"

"The next stage in evolution," Sebastian remarked. "The next stage for humanity to move forward. Your daughter has gifts that you, as humans, will never gain. The human race is slowly becoming extinct, and the mutant race will triumph."

"How do you know Emma is a mutant?" Mr. Frost cried out.

"We're mutants too," the woman in the purple dress answered. "My mutation allows me to detect other mutants as well as unlimited memory. I can also move things with my mind."

"Don't brag now," Sebastian smirked. He approached Emma and stroked her blonde hair. "You're even more beautiful now that I know you're a mutant. What can you do?"

"I can read people's mind," Emma said with nervousness.

"A telepath?" Sebastian asked. "That's great."

"My parents never let me use my power though," Emma stated.

"That's because we don't want you to get into trouble with people," Mrs. Frost stated.

"You're limiting her," Sebastian replied.

"We're protecting her," Mrs. Frost responded.

"They also forbid me to become a model even after two agencies asked me to work for them," Emma remarked.

"Shame on you Mr. and Mrs. Frost," Sebastian said. "She's a gifted woman, and you are restraining her from becoming who she is meant to be...a queen." Sebastian grabbed Emma's hand and looked into her eyes. "Do you want to become a queen?"

"Yes," Emma said, giving her heart to Sebastian.

"Erik," Sebastian said as he turned to the man in the red suit. The man levitated a gun and fired the bullets into Mr. and Mrs. Frost's head. Emma watched as her parents fell to the floor.

"Come with us, Emma," Sebastian suggested. "Become a part of the Hellfire Club."

Emma walked towards her parents lifeless bodies and shed a few tears. She felt scared but also free; free from the burden of her parent's rules.

"What is the Hellfire Club?" Emma asked as she slowly walked towards Sebastian.

"We're an organization with several branches," the woman in the purple dress answered. "My name is Tessa."

"The Hellfire Club is an elite group of people who further their own interests by having an influence in government and economic affairs. For years it has been run by humans, but now it is strictly a mutant organization," Sebastian stated.

"My name is Harry Leland," the heavy set man in the green suit stated. "I'm able to manipulate mass."

"My name is Jason Wyngarde," the older gentleman in the navy blue suite and white cape said. "My mutation allows me to create illusions in the mind of others."

Emma turned to the man in the red suit, who she remembered Sebastian calling Erik. Erik looked as if he did not want to tell her his name.

"That's Erik," Sebastian stated. "He can manipulate metal."

Sebastian took Emma's hand, and led her out of her house as the other members followed. Before Emma entered the Hellfire Club's car, she looked at her house one last time. She was leaving behind the girl she use to be, and becoming the woman she desired to be.

**Present Chapter 3: Senator Kelly's Visit**

"As you can see, we are like any other boarding school," said Angel. Senator Robert Kelly and his assistant, followed alongside Professor X, and Angel as they gave him a tour of the school. Cyclops, Jean, Storm, and Colossus followed behind the group as they made their way through the school.

"Except, you have mutants," Senator Kelly remarked. "Tell me what exactly you're trying to accomplish."

"It was my dream to unite humans and mutants and create peace amongst both," Professor X replied. "I opened this school to not only educate young mutants but to also help them gain control of their powers so they can be responsible members of society."

"Really now?" Senator Kelly remarked. "Or do the mutants just simply learn how to use their powers more effectively to cause damage or even kill?"

"We do not teach the students how to kill," Professor X responded. "We just teach them how to use their powers to defend themselves."

"Defend themselves from what?" Senator Kelly asked.

"From people like you," Storm answered.

"You sure have an attitude," Senator Kelly replied. "But to be honest does a mutant really have to defend themselves if they have the upper-hand?"

"In my past experience, yes," Storm answered angrily.

"Please, follow me into the second corridor," Professor X suggested.

Angel left Professor X's side and grabbed Storm's arm and pulled her to the side. Cyclops and Jean give Storm a very discouraged look.

"You're going to have to tone down the attitude," Angel said.

"But-"

"Tone it down," Angel repeated. "You are not going to bring your anger into this."

Professor X eventually led the tour to Beast's office. Senator Kelly and his assistant could not help give a horrified look at Beast's appearance. Beast politely smiled, although he was hurt inside.

"Hello," Beast greeted. "I'm Dr. Hank McCoy. I am the school's doctor."

"Hello," Senator Kelly replied. "Xavier, do you mind telling me how the school system here works, especially regarding the X-Men."

"Certainly," Professor X responded. "The X-Men are a team of mutants that I formed many years ago. They utilize their mutation to protect mankind from dangers. Dangers such as mutants who wish to use their mutations for evil deeds."

"Is it true that the students become X-Men?" Senator Kelly asked as Angel and Storm rejoin the group.

"Not all of them," Professor X stated. "In the student's last year before graduation, they are given the choice to join the Junior X-Men, a transitional team before becoming full pledge X-Men. Of course, it takes much more to become an official X-Men. You must be part of the Junior team in your last year. Once you graduate, you must go to post-secondary school and obtain a degree in a field of your choice. Then you must work in your chosen profession for a minimum of three years before coming back to the school to not only become an X-Men but a teacher. This ensures the students are getting education from professionals as well as former students who know how troubling it is to be a mutant."

"Interesting," Senator Kelly remarked. "I'm not going to beat around the bush any longer. Ever since your school was revealed to the public, there was an increase frenzy in the mutant debate. Now I have no power to shut down the school at this point, but if Proposition X does not go through, then shutting down the school could be a reality."

"Why would you shut down the school," Cyclops asked. "A lot of parents send their children here to get help."

"Yes," Senator Kelly replied. "But a lot of these students are also here without their parent's knowledge."

"That's because they ran away from home," Cyclops responded.

"Their parents still have custody over them, not you," Senator Kelly replied. "Now me and my assistant must be taking our leave now. Thank you for the tour, and I'm sure I will be seeing many of you at the ballot boxes in two months."

After the Senator left, Professor X and his X-Men were having a discussion in the school's library.

"It was all for publicity," Angel stated.

"What do you mean?" Jean asked.

"He wanted a tour of the school to simply make it seem like he was trying give us a chance to talk with him and to get our stories," Angel answered. "His stance on mutants is still one that is against us. He's only going to justify voting 'no' on Proposition X with what he thinks the school is: A mutant training facility to build a mutant army to destroy humans."

"That's overreaching isn't it?" Beast asked.

"That's how public relations work," Angel answered.

"I knew giving him a tour was a bad idea," Cyclops said.

"If we didn't give him the tour, it would seem we were hiding something from the public," Angel remarked.

"Professor, what do you think?" asked Jean.

"I think we need to keep an eye on Senator Kelly," Professor X answered.

In Senator Kelly's car, Senator Kelly and his assistant sat in the back as they drove off the mansion's grounds. Senator Kelly was texting someone on his cell phone, not speaking to his assistant who had many questions to ask.

"What's our next move?" his assistant asked.

"We contact our friend, Stryker," Senator Kelly responded without taking his eyes off his cell phone. "He's going to help me make people realize mutants are not as innocent as they seem."

**Future Chapter 3: Chasing Toad**

Storm, Shadowcat and Iceman entered an old abandoned apartment. The apartment belonged to Cyclops who was not seen by Storm for over a month. The three came to investigate to find clues on his disappearance. As they looked around the apartment, they heard the unlocking of the door and a horrible stench began to fill the apartment. The stench belonged to the evil mutant, Toad.

"What are you doing here?" a surprised Toad asked.

"We could ask you the same thing," Iceman replied.

"I've been crashing at this apartment for a while now," said Toad.

"You must have some involvement with Cyclops' disappearance," Shadowcat replied.

"Maybe I did," Toad responded. "But I'm not going to tell you."

"Then I guess I'll just force it out of you," Storm replied. A strong gust of wind blew open the apartment's windows and entered the apartment with full force. Everything inside began to blow around the room.

Toad jumped around the apartment in a panic, but then kick Storm in the face. Storm stumbles into Iceman, who tries to catch her while the strong wind made him lose balance. Toad then jumps out of the window.

"Stay here you two," Storm yelled out as she jumps out of the window and flies.

Toad began to jump from building to building, trying to escape Storm. However, Storm summoned a strong wind that threw Toad off his balance which causes him to fall into a dumpster. Storm lands near the dumpster and approaches it slowly. Suddenly, a long green tongue emerges from the dumpster and licks Storm's face. Caught off guard, Storm trips and falls over. Toad then jumps out of the dumpster and uses his long tongue to wrap around Storm's right leg and throw her 10 feet into the air. Storm regains control and summons a wind to stabilize her in the air as Toad releases his grip on her leg. Storm then uses a lightning bolt to attack Toad, but Toad dodges it and hops into the busy New York road. Storm flies overhead, trying to follow Toad and stop him, but with so many cars around she could not risk using her lightning bolt to stop him.

After being chased for several blocks, Toad jumps off the road and into an alley way. Storm follows to find Toad on the ground, knocked out. A young woman with brown hair and a streak of white hair stood over the fallen Toad. It was Rogue, who Storm had not seen in a very long time.

Back at Cyclops' abandon apartment, Storm and Shadowcat stood over Toad as he began to wake up from Rogue's shock. Iceman and Rogue were in the kitchen, awkwardly talking to each other.

"Are you back in town alone?" Iceman asked.

"Yes," Rogue answered. "I told Gambit I needed to go back to do something."

"What do you have to do?" Iceman asked.

"That's my secret," Rogue answered.

"He's waking up you guys!" Shadowcat called from the bedroom. Rogue and Iceman walk into the bedroom.

"Tell us where Cyclops is," Storm demanded.

"He's in London, England," Toad answered.

"What's he doing there and what are you doing here?" Shadowcat asked.

"I was asked by someone to steal something from Cyclops," Toad answered. "The person ended up kidnapping Cyclops as well."

"What did you have to steal?" Storm asked.

Toad took a deep breath and said, "Jean's ashes."

To be continued...


	4. Stories 4

**X-Men: Past, Present, Future**

_Inspired by the films, X-Men: Past, Present, Future follows three separate timelines in the X-Men universe. Each timeline is separated by many years, with the Past storyline happening before the year 2000. The present storyline takes place in 2012, the year this story is currently being written. The future storyline takes place in the year 2022 and beyond. It is clear that each of the timelines affect each other and the stories intertwine._

**Past Chapter 4: Erik Joins the Hellfire Club**

1959, 23 year old Erik was working in a New York restaurant as a waiter. The Holocaust had been over for years, and at the age of 18, Erik immigrated to the United States in hope for a better future. He had no family left, and not fully understanding what he really is, he believed to be alone in the world. He could not afford post-secondary education but he was making enough money from his job to live alone in New York. The feeling of loneliness consumed him just as much as the nightmares from the concentration camps did at night.

On one faithful day, Erik was assigned to a party in the private room. Holding four menus in his hand, Erik entered the room to see Sebastian Shaw, Tessa, Harry Leland, and Jason Wyngarde. Erik made eye contact with Sebastian Shaw, and something inside hit him. There was something in Shaw's eyes that gave Erik an uneasy feeling.

"Hi, my name is Erik, I'll be your server for tonight," Erik greeted the party.

"You're a mutant," Tessa stated.

"What is this?" Sebastian Shaw asked. "We're being served by a mutant tonight?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about," Erik responded.

"He doesn't know he's a mutant," Tessa remarked.

"A lot of people don't," Sebastian Shaw stated.

"I didn't realize I was a mutant until I was about 13," Harry yelled out.

"Sometimes I wonder if my illusions made me believed I wasn't a mutant for years," said Jason.

"So, Erik what can you do?" Sebastian Shaw asked.

"Um, I can serve you?" answered a confused Erik.

"Don't be foolish boy!" Harry yelled. "What does your mutation allow you to do?"

"I don't know what you are talking about," Erik replied.

"He doesn't know what a mutant is," Tessa stated.

"A mutant is the future," Sebastian Shaw stated.

Tessa got up from her seat and walked up towards Erik. She examined his face and hair and looked deep into his eyes. Erik was afraid but he allowed her to do what she was doing in fear he would lose his job if he didn't.

"Unfortunately, my mutation doesn't let me know exactly what you are capable of doing, so you will have to show us yourself," said Tessa.

"For the third time, I have no idea what you are talking about," Erik calmly stated. Tessa smiled and then stretched out her arm towards a chair at the table. The chair moved by itself and positioned itself towards Erik.

"Would you like to sit down with us?" Tessa asked. Erik looked astonished. Not only was the sight he saw unbelievable, but it also made him realize that he was not the only one with gifts.

"Look at his face!" Harry laughed.

"Mutation is when normal humans develop special biological gifts that set them apart from others. Thus, they evolve into the next stage of mankind," Tessa explained.

"Show us what you can do," Sebastian Shaw commanded.

Erik reached his hand out and began to make the cutlery on the table dance in the air. He moved the knives, forks, and spoons around gracefully. Sebastian was delighted, while the others laughed with joy.

"So you're telekinetic like me?" Tessa asked.

"I don't know what that means," Erik stated.

"It means you can move things with your mind," Tessa explained.

"No," Erik said. "It's not with my mind. My body just admits a force that I can't explain. I can only move metal."

"Metal?" Sebastian Shaw remarked. "Perhaps, you're magnetic?"

"Magnetic?" Erik remarked as the cutlery returned to the way they were placed on the table.

"Let's see how magnetic you can be," said Sebastian as he draws a gun from his jacket and points it directly at Erik. "Stop the bullet."

Suddenly, there was a loud shot followed by silence in the room. Erik had closed his eyes, and wondered if he was dead. He then heard laughing and clapping within the room. Erik opened his eyes to see the bullet that should have killed him floating in midair.

"You're truly a magnificent mutant," Sebastian stated. Erik smiled as the bullet fell to the ground like a pin. "Would you like to join the Hellfire Club?"

"What is that?" Erik asked.

"An organization where you can rule the world," Sebastian answered with a smirk. Erik smiled as he realized he wasn't alone in the world, and that he had the chance to become someone greater.

**Present Chapter 4: The Wolverine**

In the mansion's large dining room, every mutant was at the dining room table eating the homemade chicken pot pies. Like every evening, the teachers and students enjoyed dinner together because it was a chance for them to bond as well.

"Good job once again, Peter," Cyclops complimented Colossus.

"I had help from my cooking class," Colossus said with a smile towards Kitty. Kitty blushed and giggled.

"How did the visit with Senator Kelly go?" Sooraya asked. She was a traditional Muslim girl who's mutation allowed her to change her body into sand.

"It went well," Angel replied. "Despite Ms. Munroe and her attitude." Everybody at the table laughed.

"I didn't give that much attitude," Storm remarked.

"Yeah right," Jean said. "Back then I thought I heard some thunder outside." Everybody laughed again. Professor X stopped eating and began to blankly stare into space.

"Is there something wrong Professor?" Sofia asked from across the table.

"We have to watch the news now," Professor X replied.

Everybody left their half eaten dinner on the table and rushed to the living room. Max turned on the television and searched for the news channel. The footage on the television screen made everybody gasped. A mutant with metal claws from his hands was running loose on the streets of New York, attacking innocent people.

"Oh my god," Max shouted.

"X-Men, go," Professor X commanded.

"What about Junior X-Men?" Kitty asked.

"Too dangerous," Cyclops shouted as he and the rest of the X-Men ran down to the lower levels of the school to get into the X-Men team outfit.

The school's basketball court opened and the X-Jet risen from its underground garage and flew into the night sky towards the city. After a few minutes of flying, Cyclops landed the jet on the rooftop of a building near where the rampaging mutant was attacking the city. The team exited the jet and look down the building to spot where the mutant was. Storm then lifts herself in the air and begins to summon lightning to strike the mutant. The mutant is hit by a bolt which knocks him out. Angel then flies down to the streets. Beast leaps off the building while Jean levitates her and Cyclops down to the streets. Cyclops approaches the body of the mutant slowly and television cameras and news reporters come out of hiding to film the scene.

"Who is he?" Cyclops ponders. Jean then senses the mind of the mutant to still be active.

"Scott, watch out!" Jean screamed. The mutant suddenly jumps up and attempts to stab Cyclops, but the mutant is stopped by Jean using her telekinesis.

"Who are you?" Cyclops yelled. The mutant screamed in anger because he could not move. Beast then notices a small black box attached to the mutant's left temple.

"What is that?" Beast pointed out.

"It seems to be attached to his head," Angel stated.

"Maybe it's controlling him," Jean suggested. From above, Storm see's police cars approaching.

"We have company!" Storm yelled. The police cars surround the X-Men and the cops come out with their guns pointed at the X-Men.

"Freeze mutants or we will shoot!" A cop yelled out.

"Wait, these mutants seem to be helping us," a news reporter yelled out. "They were the ones that stopped the mutant with the claws!"

"I can't hold him much longer," said Jean as she struggled to gain control of her powers.

"Let's rip the box out of his head then," Cyclops suggested.

"Wait," said Beast. "If it is controlling him then it must be attached to his brain. You could kill him."

Suddenly, Jean was unable to continue using her telekinesis and the mutant was released from his state of immobility. The mutant then tried to claw at Cyclops, who backed away. The news reporters and cameramen ran back into hiding. The police tried to aim for the mutant, but the few bullets fired miss. Storm descends from the sky and summons a strong wind to push the police back.

"Stop firing or you will hit the good guys!" Storm screamed at them.

"Storm, we need your help!" Angel yelled out as he flies above.

Cyclops shoots out an optic blast that sends the attacking mutant flying 20 feet off the ground and into a store window. The mutant then gets out of the damaged store window and tries to attack Beast. Beast gets scratched by the mutant's metal claws and roars in pain. Beast throws a few punches at the mutant, before Angel grabs the mutant and takes him flying. The mutant thrashes around, making Angel lose his grip on the mutant. The mutant lands on the ground and leaps towards Beast once again. Cyclops shoots another optic blast which hits the mutant and makes him land on the roof of a car. The mutant jumps off and targets Jean. Jean tries once again to stop him with her telekinesis but she is unable to focus. Storm summons another wind that blows the mutant into the air. Angel once again grabs the mutant and this time throws him over his shoulder and to the ground. The mutant hits his head on the concrete and is knocked out once again. The X-Men approach the mutant's body slowly and carefully.

"I'm afraid to wake him up," said Beast.

"I can take the device out of his head with my power," Jean suggested.

"Are you sure you can do it?" Cyclops asked.

"Yes!" an angry Jean answered.

"Do it carefully," Beast reminded. Jean concentrated and slowly removed the small device from the mutant's head. Cyclops then notices the mutant wearing a military tag around his neck. He examines it and reads the name out loud.

"The Wolverine."

**Future Chapter 4: Beast's Hideout**

Storm drove her car while Shadowcat sat in the passenger seat, and Iceman and Toad sat in the backseats.

"Tell me the name of the person who asked you to steal Jean's ashes again?" Shadowcat asked Toad.

"Madelyne Pryor," Toad answered.

"Have you met her before?" Shadowcat asked Storm.

"Yes," Storm answered. "Many years ago. I didn't know she was still alive after the X-Men fought her and her team."

"What does she want with Jean's ashes?" Iceman asked.

"It must have to do with her and the Phoenix," Storm mumbled. Shadow cat answers a text message.

"Nightcrawler says the guys are on board," Shadowcat stated. "And Sofia says she's leaving Florida. Did you ask Rogue if she wanted to help us?"

"Sorry, I forgot," Iceman quietly answered.

"I've contacted Angel," Storm stated. "He's going to meet us at Beast's Hideout."

"I don't get why I'm here!" Toad yelled out.

"We're not letting you go until we get Cyclops back," Storm responded.

Storm drove the car into the forest and after an hour finally stopped at a cabin. The cabin wasn't very big and was obviously neglected from the outside. They exit out of the car and entered the cabin where Beast greeted them.

"Welcome," Beast greeted. "I haven't seen you two in so long."

"We're glad to see you too," Shadowcat replied.

"Did you have to bring Toad?" Beast asked as he tried to cover his nose from the repulsive smell that Toad emitted.

"They didn't have to bring me at all!" Toad cried out. Angel then entered the cabin and greeted everyone.

"Long time no-see," said Angel.

After a discussion and getting Beast and Angel caught up with the events that happened, the group began to make plans to go to London to find Cyclops.

"How are we going to get there if international flights are forbidden for mutants now?" Iceman asked.

"I wish we still had the X-Jet," Shadowcat stated.

"Kitty," Beast replied. "Don't you remember who built the X-Jet?" Beast grinned and then led the group outside the cabin and into another part of the forest. Shadowcat's eyes lit up at the sight of the X-Jet parked in the area of the woods with the sun light gleaming on it.

"I thought it was destroyed!" Shadowcat cried out.

"I repaired it and made some improvements on it of course," said Beast.

"Shall we go to London then?" Angel asked.

To be continued...


	5. Stories 5

**X-Men: Past, Present, Future**

_Inspired by the films, X-Men: Past, Present, Future follows three separate timelines in the X-Men universe. Each timeline is separated by many years, with the Past storyline happening before the year 2000. The present storyline takes place in 2012, the year this story is currently being written. The future storyline takes place in the year 2022 and beyond. It is clear that each of the timelines affect each other and the stories intertwine._

**Past Chapter 5: Erik's Revelation**

1962, at the Hellfire Club's penthouse suite in New York, the Club was coming home from a late night out. Sebastian was drunk and unable to properly stand, so Tessa used her telekinesis to send him off to bed where he quickly fell asleep. Harry, Jason, and Tessa soon retired to their bedrooms, leaving Erik and Emma alone. It was an awkward situation, because for two years now Erik and Emma have never been left alone together. Emma had become Sebastian's mistress, and the only person she actually had some sort of relationship with. It was not that Emma did not trust Erik, she just did not make friends very well despite the two years with Erik and the rest of the Hellfire Club. The fact that Erik was the one who killed her parents also made her fear him.

"Aren't you going to retire to bed?" Erik asked Emma.

"Not yet," Emma answered. "When I do, I would probably sleep on the couch here. I don't like sleeping next to Sebastian when he's drunk, passed out or not."

"Understandable," Erik said as he took a sip of his water.

"You know, you and I haven't talked much," said Emma. "We hardly know each other."

"Can't you just read my mind to know me?" Erik asked.

"Come on," Emma remarked. "Just tell me a few things about yourself. Where are you from?" Erik grabbed Emma's hands and placed them near his head.

"You can find out yourself," Erik told her. Emma closed her eyes and entered Erik's mind. She saw the war torn life he once lived. She was able to see his memories of the concentration camps and the fear in his eyes. The images shocked and disgusted Emma, and she wasn't able to continue to see the images again.

"I'm sorry," said Emma as she lowered her hands.

"Don't be," said Erik. "I'm just glad it's over. I'm glad I'm with the Hellfire Club now. I believe in Sebastian."

"I believe in him too," Emma agreed.

"We are the future you know? Sebastian is right. We mutants will soon rule the world. We are the superior race."

"I'm sorry Erik, I don't want to be rude, but wasn't that what Hitler believed in?" Erik got angry and walked towards the window.

"Hitler believed in bullshit," stated Erik. "I believe in the truth. I believe in Sebastian."

"Erik, you do know Sebastian was a Nazi right?" Emma asked.

"What?"

"He was a high ranking official," Emma explained. "Just a few ranks under Hitler himself."

"You're lying!" Erik yelled.

"I'm not," Emma replied. "He told me himself."

Erik began to breath heavily as tears rolled down his eyes. The man he believed in was becoming someone he hated. Erik was shocked, confused, and angered over the information Emma was telling him. He was feeling the sense of loneliness he once felt three years ago. Unable to think clearly, Erik walked towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Emma asked.

"I have no idea," Erik yelled out as he entered the hallway.

Emma stood in the living room alone as she watched the door closed. She felt she had done something wrong. She was afraid her perfect life with the Hellfire Club, and her perfect life with Sebastian Shaw was going to be taken away from her.

**Present Chapter 5: Bringing in Wolverine**

Back at the school, in the underground level, Beast was examining Wolverine. Beast noticed that Wolverine had no scars or anything on him. Despite all the damage he took, his body looked as if he it never got into a fight before. As Beast touched Wolverine's hand, trying to examine the retractable claws, he began to hear the sound of sniffing. The sniffing was coming from Wolverine who was beginning to wake up.

Suddenly, Wolverine lets out a loud scream and released his claws from his hands. Wolverine jumped off the medical table and was about to attack Beast. Suddenly, he was unable to move his arms. Wolverine let out another scream before he began to settle down.

"Calm your mind," said Professor X as he entered the room with the rest of the X-Men. It was Professor X who controlled Wolverine's anger and made him calm down.

"What is this place?" Wolverine asked.

"Westchester, New York," Professor X answered. "This is my school, Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. My name is Charles Xavier."

"What am I doing here?" Wolverine asked as he looked at the other X-Men.

"You were running a rampage on the streets of New York, destroying everything and attacking innocent people," Professor X answered. "We stopped you and brought you back here."

"It wasn't my fault," Wolverine pleaded. "I couldn't control myself."

"Yes, we know," Professor X stated. "A mind controlling device was implanted in your brain, making you act against your will. We were able to remove it from your head."

"Except, I can't seem to find the scar where it was inserted," Beast remarked.

"I don't scar, fur-ball" Wolverine snarled at Beast.

"This is Dr. Hank McCoy, also known as Beast," Professor X introduced. "He's the school's doctor." Professor X then began to introduce the other X-Men members to Wolverine.

"Aren't you people a bit too old to be going to school?" Wolverine asked.

"We're teachers here," Cyclops answered. "We teach young mutants how to harness their powers as well as giving them a standard education."

"So you think you're saints to mutants?" Wolverine smirked.

"We want to help young mutants," Angel stated.

"We also want to help you," Professor X said.

"Help me how?" Wolverine asked.

Professor X then entered Wolverine's mind and began talking. "I can help you find the person who gave you your claws, and who released you on the streets of New York."

"How did you do that?" a shocked Wolverine asked.

"You're a mutant just like us Wolverine," Professor X stated. "We need to stick together and help each other. Let me help you." Wolverine nodded his head as he realized that the mutants in the room with him were truly genuine.

"What's your name?" Storm asked.

"Logan," Wolverine stated. "And something else...another name I've been called before."

Cyclops reached into his pocket and handed Wolverine the military tag to him, showing the name engraved onto the metal. "Wolverine," Cyclops stated as Wolverine grabs the tag.

Suddenly, Kitty walked through the door using her ability and entered the room.

"What is it Kitty?" Colossus asked.

"You have to come upstairs and watch the news," Kitty replied.

The X-Men including Wolverine made their way to the upper levels of the school. Wolverine looked around, astonished by the vastness of the mansion as well as the many young mutants that were there. Many of the students stared at Wolverine, partly because he was an unfamiliar mutant and also because he was shirtless. Jean approaches Wolverine with a sweatshirt and hands it to him. Wolverine smiled and puts the sweatshirt on. Everybody then turned their attention to the television screen.

"The X-Men have once again saved New York," the news reporter began. "Around 6:30pm, a mutant with metal claws was attacking the streets of New York. Suddenly, the X-Men appear out of nowhere and were able to stop the rampaging mutant. After a battle with the mutant, the X-Men took the mutant's unconscious body and left the scene. Many political experts are saying that mutants like the X-Men shed good light on the mutant debate. However, the rampaging mutant is just another reason why people should fear mutants, because they are not all like the X-Men. It is unclear at this point if the attacking mutant is a part of the mutant terrorist group, The Brotherhood, led by mutant terrorist leader, Magneto. Authorities and government officials are waiting for the X-Men to give information once they are ready, which is part of the deal that Professor Charles Xavier, leader of the X-Men and headmaster of his mutant school, made with the President several months ago. On other news, the controversial debate over mutants participating in professional sports ensues after one mutant with-" Max turned off the television and everybody locked their eyes on Wolverine.

"You made a deal with Barack Obama?" Wolverine asked Professor X.

"Yes," Professor X answered. "We promised to tell them anything we find when it comes to mutants that are a threat to national security, after we are allowed to stop them and investigate certain matters."

"Do you know who the Brotherhood are?" Cyclops asked. "Are you a part of them?"

"I don't know who they are," Wolverine answered.

"Are you sure you're not a mutant terrorist?" Cyclops asked with an attitude.

"I don't know what you're trying to imply, bub, but I'm no terrorist!" Wolverine said as he pushed Cyclops.

"Touch me again and I will beat the shit out of you," Cyclops yelled out. Jean grabbed Cyclops and pulls him away from Wolverine's face.

"Scott, calm down," said Jean. "He was being controlled, remember?" The students became silent and uncomfortable.

"I'm just trying to protect the school," Cyclops justified.

"How you going to do that with sunglasses on at night time?" Wolverine mocked.

"If you want me to take the sunglasses off, I'll blow your head off," Cyclops replied.

"Stop this now," Professor X yelled out. "Beast, take Wolverine back down to the medical room and continue with your examination. Scott, go outside and cool yourself. I think it's time for the students to go to bed."

**Future Chapter 5: Cerebro 2**

"We need to be able to locate Madelyne and Cyclops first," Storm stated as she landed the X-Jet down onto Frost's estate.

The group entered the mansion, where they were greeted by 81 year old Emma Frost. She was very aged, yet still had a regal appearance to her. The group followed her into the basement of her mansion, where she led them to a small round room. The room had a table, connected to a special helmet.

"Welcome to my version of Cerebro," Emma stated. "I call it Cerebro 2."

"I'm impressed you were able to create this, even with a lack of engineering skills," Beast stated.

"I had help from a few friends," Emma remarked. "Now, Cerebro 2 isn't as powerful as Xavier's Cerebro, especially when it comes to mutants who aren't telepathic. However, my Cerebro allows me to connect with other telepaths with ease. This means I can find Madelyne no matter where she is."

"Great, then let's do this," said Angel.

"But there's one problem," Emma said. "Because this Cerebro is stronger on telepaths, telepaths will also be able to pick up on Cerebro's signal. Especially if the signal targets their mind."

"By the time we find where Madelyne is, she could take Cyclops to another location," said Beast.

"That's a chance we have to take," said Storm.

"Ok then," Emma said as she placed the helmet on her head. "Try not to move too much."

The room became dark as the machine turned on. Suddenly, random light particles appeared everywhere around the room. There were white lights and red lights. The humans were the white lights, and the mutants were the red lights. There were some areas where the red lights were more clustered together. The group knew the lights were locations that had a high level of mutant concentration. The view of the world with lights were then zoomed in as Emma began to concentrate. Cerebro then showed the streets of New York with detail views of people's faces and bodies. A group of red light bodies marches on the streets of New York.

"It's another protest," Shadowcat remarked as she watched the red figures.

The images then crossed around New York. For a slight second, Iceman saw Rogue's face as Cerebro zoomed in and out of New York city. Iceman wanted to see Rogue's face again, and find out where Rogue was heading off too. But he knew he had more important things to worry about.

"Why are you in New York?" Angel asked. "You have to focus on London, England."

"I'm trying too," Emma stated. "It's hard for my mind to leave New York, especially with my old age. And that disgusting smell in here is very distracting."

"Sorry," apologized Toad.

Emma then concentrated harder, and was able to get Cerebro to zoom out of New York and travel across the globe to London, England. Images of people in London pass across the room, with white lights and red lights alike. Finally, the visual enter an apartment in London, and with two red figures. One figure was Cyclops, who seemed to be tied to a chair and closing his eyes because his ruby glasses were not on his face. The other red figure was Madelyne, who looked remarkably like Jean Grey.

"There's Cyclops!" Shadowcat yelled out. "And is that Madelyne? She looks like Jean!"

"I'm saving their coordinates on a computer in another room right now," stated Emma.

"We better hurry," said Angel.

"Yes, you better" Emma said as she took the helmet off. "Madelyne was able to feel me in her head. She knows we're coming for her."

To be continued...


	6. Stories 6

**X-Men: Past, Present, Future**

_Inspired by the films, X-Men: Past, Present, Future follows three separate timelines in the X-Men universe. Each timeline is separated by many years, with the Past storyline happening before the year 2000. The present storyline takes place in 2012, the year this story is currently being written. The future storyline takes place in the year 2022 and beyond. It is clear that each of the timelines affect each other and the stories intertwine._

**Past Chapter 6: Charles and Erik Meet**

1962, Erik was sitting in a rundown diner, after he walked around New York aimlessly for an hour. His feet were tired, his hands were cold, and his head was hurting. He still believed in everything Sebastian Shaw said about mutants, but his anger for the Nazi's made him want to kill Shaw. What he hated most was that he was dependent on someone else; dependent on Shaw. Erik stared at his cup of black coffee, with his mind off in his own world. The laughter of two men a table down brought him out of his trance-like state and into the reality of the diner.

"Can you believe this guy?" One man laughed as he pointed to a newspaper he was holding. "Mutants? Who the hell does this Charles Xavier guy think he is lecturing about this crap in an American university?"

"I know, it's ridiculous," the other man replied. "That's why I never went to university! I don't want to be taught by some kid and his crackpot theories!" The two men laughed as they got up from their table. The man who was holding the newspaper throws the paper on the diner floor and steps on it before he joined his friend in leaving the diner.

Erik rushed to get the newspaper to quickly read it. Was it true what he was hearing from the two men? Was there another person out there who was preaching about the existence of mutants? Possibly, a person who could help him. Whoever this Charles Xavier is, he might be the person Erik needed to meet to help him. To help him get rid of his dependence on Shaw, and help him reveal to the world that mutants do exist.

The following morning, at Harvard University, Charles Xavier his girlfriend, Moira MacTagget, were in his office drinking champagne. Moira had auburn, sleek hair, and was a classic beauty. She graduated from Harvard with a Ph.D in Biology, as well as Genetics. Moira knew about Charles' gift, and was just as passionate about the study of human evolution and mutation.

"Alcohol this early in the morning?" Charles asked Moira.

"We're celebrating," Moira replied.

"What are we celebrating?"

"All your achievements," Moira said as she licked her lips of champagne. "You graduated from Harvard with a Ph.D in Psychology at the age of 17! Then you get a Ph.D in Genetics, Physics, and now just last week, Biology! The university just gave you a teaching position, making you a professor, and you're in the paper!" Moira holds up the newspaper with Charles' picture in it.

"Please, Moira, that paper is a day old! Throw it away!" Charles' said as he tried to grab it from Moira's hand.

"We need to display it!" said Moira.

"No, that would just be too embarrassing."

"That's what I love about you...you're humble and modest. Most people would have the biggest egos after all these accomplishments-but not you." Moira then leans in to give Charles a kiss, but suddenly the door swings open. Charles and Moira look over to see Erik standing at the door.

"Can I help you?" Charles asked.

"Are you Charles Xavier?" Erik asked.

"Yes," Charles answered.

"I need your help," Erik stated. "My name is Erik Lehnsherr, and I'm a mutant."

"What?" Charles and Moira both said as they released their embrace of each other.

Erik looked around the room to figure out how he can demonstrate his power. Erik then levitated a metal lamp on Charles' desk, a metal curtain rod, and tiny staples and paperclips. Charles and Moira gazed in amazement of the sight of the levitating objects.

"I knew there were others like me out there," said Charles as he approached Erik with a hug. "My theory was right."

"Like you?" a stunned Erik repeated. "You mean, you're a mutant as well?"

"Yes, I am," Charles said using his telepathy in Erik's mind.

"You are a mutant!" Erik yelped. "Here I thought you were just some human who knew mutants existed. But you're just like me." Erik's sense of loneliness began to fade once again. The levitating metal objects gracefully went back to their original spots in the room.

"Tell me why you're here," said Charles.

"Read my mind and find out," Erik replied. Charles brought his hands to Erik's head and began to read his mind. The images he saw were images of violence, of loneliness, of despair, and of the Hellfire Club. Then he saw the image of a familiar face.

"Emma!" Charles cried out as he stopped the mind reading.

"You know Frost?" Erik asked.

"Who's Emma?" asked Moira.

"A childhood friend," Charles answered as he recovered from the revelation of Emma still being alive. "I thought she was dead."

**Present Chapter 6: It's a Longshot**

"His mutation is not metal claws," said Beast. After examining Wolverine, Beast called for the X-Men team down to the lower level meeting room to discuss his findings.

"Then what is it?" asked Colossus.

"His mutation is an accelerated healing factor, which allows him to recover from serious injuries in a matter of seconds. It also makes his age impossible to determine."

"Could he be older than the Professor?" Storm asked.

"Frankly, yes," Beast answered.

"Then where did he get his claws?" asked Jean.

"His second mutation are retractable claws, except made of natural bone marrow," Beast answered. "The metal is called Adamantium, a rare exotic metal, that had been infused into his skeleton. It coats the natural bone marrow, thus giving him metal claws instead. His healing factor allowed him to survive the procedure."

"Who did this to him?" Angel asked.

"He doesn't remember," Beast said. "Unfortunately, his amnesia might have happened when Jean removed the mind controlling device from his head."

"I feel bad," said Jean.

"Don't feel bad," Cyclops remarked. "You did what you had to do."

"Professor, do you think you can read his mind?" Beast asked Professor X.

"I could try, but I would most likely find nothing," answered Professor X.

"We have to find out who did this to him," Colossus stated. "Because whoever did might be experimenting on other mutants as well."

"Well if he doesn't remember then we're going to be looking aimlessly," replied Cyclops. "The only thing he had on him was the military tag, and that attitude of his."

"Scott, that's it," Professor X remarked.

"His attitude?" asked Cyclops.

"No, the military tag," replied Professor X. "Jean, go get Longshot."

Wolverine and the X-Men all gathered in the living room that night, as they watched 10 year old mutant boy, Longshot, examine Wolverine's military tag. It was already midnight, and the young mutant boy was very sleepy.

"Why are we watching this kid play with my tag?" Wolverine asked Beast.

"His mutation allows him to know the history of any object from the time it was created. It's called psychometry," answered Beast.

"He'll be able to tell us where the tag came from, and hopefully we'll be able to find out who gave you the metal claws," Colossus stated. "And stop them from experimenting on other mutants."

"Are you sure he'll be able to do it?" Wolverine doubted. "The kid is falling asleep in front of us."

Jean comforted Longshot and helped him try to focus. Longshot was one of the young mutants that Jean was in charge of. She was very close to all the young mutants, but she knew Longshot had the most trouble controlling his powers. She feared Longshot's power wasn't developed enough to give exact details of the tag's history.

"Longshot, honey, I need you to stay awake for me," said Jean. "I need you to focus your power on the tag and tell us everything you see."

"I'm tired," Longshot said as he tried to keep his eyes open.

"I know, dear," Jean comforted. "But I need you to do this. Remember when I wanted to find out how much the designer purse Cyclops got me for my birthday last year cost, and I gave it to you to look at? And then you told me it was-"

"-fake," Longshot finished. Cyclops cleared his throat as the others looked at him. Longshot placed his elbows on the wooden coffee table as his fingers examined the tag. He then closed his eyes and began to talk in a quiet voice. "I see a forest somewhere in Canada...there's a lot of cutting...and other furniture...the store's name is Pottery Barn..."

"Honey, you're reading the coffee table," Jean said as she gently lifted Longshot's elbows off the surface. "Focus on the tag, please."

Longshot closed his eyes again and focused his mind on the tag. He then begun to see images of a figures in prisons. Then there were surgeons and military officials standing around a table. The table had Wolverine lying on it, as he was being injected with a dark grey substance. The images then flashed to reveal a military base in the middle of a forest.

"Canada," Longshot whispered.

"Get the damn kid away from the coffee table!" Wolverine yelled out.

"No, wait," Professor X replied as he closed his eyes and entered Longshot's mind. "He is seeing Canada...Alberta...Northern Alberta near the Rocky Mountains...a military base...I see other mutants imprisoned there."

"They must be other experiments," Storm commented.

"I've got a location," said Professor X as he exited Longshot's mind. Longshot then opened his eyes and yawned loudly.

"Good job, Longshot," Jean said as she took the tag from his hand and gave it back to Wolverine. "I'll take Longshot back to bed."

"I'll go use Cerebro to find out exactly how many mutants we are dealing with in that base," Professor X said.

Professor X stood at the doors of his Cerebro machine, allowing the eye detection security system to scan his eyes. Wolverine, Beast, Angel, Colossus, Cyclops, and Storm stood behind the Professor as the doors to Cerebro opened.

"Welcome to Cerebro," Professor X said to Wolverine as he led the group into the large round room. There were metal plates that covered the room, and a walkway that led to a small table with a helmet attached to the machine.

"What is this thing?" Wolverine asked.

"This is the machine, Cerebro," Professor X answered as he placed the helmet on his head. "It amplifies my power, allowing me to locate others from around the world." The machine suddenly flashed a bright light before the machine turned on. Images of people from around the world appeared around the room as holograms. "The people in black and white are humans, while the coloured images are mutants."

"The brain signals of mutants are different from humans, that's how the Professor can tell the difference," Beast said to Wolverine.

"It's a talent I developed after years of training," Professor X stated as he activated Cerebro to locate the military base in Alberta. Images of mutants imprisoned appeared in the room.

"I've been there before," Wolverine said as he felt Goosebumps.

"There are about 16 mutants currently imprisoned there," Professor X said as he turned Cerebro off with his mind. "10 of them are still kids."

"We better go there and free them then," Angel said as he, Storm and Beast exited Cerebro.

"Scott, get Logan a uniform," Professor X commanded.

"He's coming with us?" Cyclops asked in shock. "He'll jeopardize the mission. He isn't ready and I bet he's not even willing to work with us."

"Who said I wasn't willing, bub?" Wolverine retaliated. "Besides, whoever did this to me deserves me to kill them with their own creation!" Wolverine said as he showed off his claws to Cyclops.

**Future Chapter 6: Madelyne's Insanity**

The X-Jet landed on the roof of the abandoned apartment building in London. It was where Madelyne was keeping Cyclops hostage. Beast, Storm, Angel, Iceman, and Shadowcat walked out. Toad was left at Emma Frost's mansion, because they feared that Madelyne would be able to smell him before they were able to get to her. They made their way inside the apartment and began searching for Cyclops. They then heard the voice of a woman coming from a room down a hallway.

"Now we can be together forever," Madelyne said to Cyclops who was tied to a chair.

"Madelyne, don't do this," Cyclops cried out with his eyes closed. "I don't want to hurt you, so please, just let me go and give me back Jean's ashes."

"I have to do this Scott," Madelyne responded. "Don't you see that I am Jean? I just need her powers so this world is complete again-this world that lacks Jean." Suddenly, the group barges into the room.

"Stop this right now!" Storm yelled out.

"Storm? Is that you?" Cyclops cried out.

"Yes, and Beast, Angel, Bobby and Kitty too!" Storm answered.

"I brought you another pair of ruby sunglasses," Beast said as he approached Cyclops to put the glasses on him. Suddenly, Madelyne used her telekinesis to stop Beast from putting the sunglasses on Cyclops.

"Get away from him!" Madelyne said as she used her powers to throw Beast across the room. Angel and Storm try to attack Madelyne but her power pushed them away. Iceman aimed at Madelyne to freeze her, but she stopped him before he could release his ice. Then she levitated and then threw Iceman and Kitty across the other side of the room. She then used her powers to immobilized the group except for Cyclops.

"None of you understand what I'm trying to do!" Madelyne yelled out in anger. "But I sensed you were coming, when I felt that bitch, Emma, in my head. At first, I thought it would be best to move somewhere else. But then I realized that you were all Jean's friends. So now you can become my friends, because I will now be Jean Grey."

"How do you intend to that?" Beast struggled to ask.

"Simple," Madelyne answered as she held the urn containing Jean's ashes in her right hand while pointing at a large electrical machine with the other hand. "I've built this machine inspired by Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. I will consume Jean's ashes, while using my machine to pump over 500 volts of electricity into my body, thus activating the X-gene that Jean Grey possessed into my body! I will then have her powers!"

"You're insane!" Shadowcat yelled out.

"It will never work!" Angel screamed.

"He's right, you'll kill yourself!" Beast yelled.

"Fools!" Madelyne screamed. "I will become the new Jean Grey! I am destined to become her. For years of my life, ever since I met you X-Men, I was always compared to Jean. Everyone said I looked just like her! The only difference was that Jean Grey was beyond mutant and that I would never have the same amount of power that she had. But there was a reason why Jean Grey died. The reason is that there could only be one Jean in the world, and since there were two, she had to die, making me the only Jean Grey! That's why I kidnapped you, Cyclops. You have to be here to see the rebirth of your one true love. After I become Jean, I will be able to control your powers. I will tell you when to open your eyes, because I will be able to control your optic blast!"

"Why can't you be yourself and not someone else?" Iceman cried out.

"It's too late now," Madelyne responded. "Everybody said I looked like Jean and so now I believe I am Jean! Or at least I will be now..." Madelyn powered on her machine and grabbed the electric cable that had a metal blade at the end of it. She prepared to stab herself with the blade, which will then connect her to the machine. She also held the urn over her head and raised her face to the urn, in order to swallow Jean's ashes.

"Don't do this!" Storm yelled out.

Cyclops could not let Madelyne succeed in her plan, so he decided to take the risk and open his eyes. He looked in the direction of Madelyne, and opened his eyes, releasing a large blast of energy that hit Madelyne. Madelyne fell to the ground, badly burnt by the powerful optic blast. She held the urn tight to her body as she suffered from the pain of the blast. Everybody was free from her telekinesis, so they were able to get up and approach her badly damaged body. Beast handed Cyclops his ruby sunglasses. After putting on the sunglasses, Cyclops removed the urn from Madelyne's hands and then headed for the door.

In the X-Jet, Cyclops sat, holding the urn tightly. "Thank you everybody for helping me."

"No problem at all," Angel replied with a smile.

"Now we need your help," Shadowcat said to Cyclops. "We want to reform the X-Men and help lead the revolution."

"It's a risky idea," Cyclops stated as he looked at the urn. "But I'll do it for Jean."

"Great," said an excited Iceman. "The X-Men have their leader again!" Everyone but Storm cheered.

"Wait a minute," said Storm. "I'm not going to be the leader?"

"Well, Cyclops was leader of the X-Men for a very long time," replied Iceman. "It's only fitting he be the leader for the reformation, right?"

"As I recall, before the X-Men disbanded, I was the official leader!" Storm yelled out angrily. Everyone became silent, as Beast flew the X-Jet back to New York while bracing an approaching storm.

To be continued...


	7. Stories 7

**X-Men: Past, Present, Future**

_Inspired by the films, X-Men: Past, Present, Future follows three separate timelines in the X-Men universe. Each timeline is separated by many years, with the Past storyline happening before the year 2000. The present storyline takes place in 2012, the year this story is currently being written. The future storyline takes place in the year 2022 and beyond. It is clear that each of the timelines affect each other and the stories intertwine._

**Past Chapter 7: Attack on the Hellfire Club**

1962, in a car, Charles drove, Moira sat in the passenger seat and Erik sat in the backseat as they headed to the Hellfire Club's penthouse suite. It was night time and Erik had been missing from The Hellfire Club for a whole day, the longest he's been gone from them ever since he joined.

"This is it," Erik said as he made Charles pull the car over.

"This is too dangerous," said Moira. "Don't you think it would best to leave this to the police?"

"No," answered Erik. "The Hellfire Club has power over the law."

"But you two don't even have a plan!" Moira pleaded.

"The plan is to get Emma out safely," Charles said as Erik exited out the car. "You stay here and don't get out of the car until we're back." Charles kissed Moira passionately, and then looked into her eyes as he said, "I'll be safe."

Up in the suite, The Hellfire Club sat around the living room to discuss Erik's disappearance. Emma was too afraid to tell them that it might have been her fault that Erik left, so she kept the information to herself.

"I'm sure the boy had to run some errands," Jason said.

"Without telling us?" Sebastian questioned as he took a sip of his scotch.

"He made us miss that speech from that Martin guy!" Harry yelled out. "I heard it was really good."

Tessa then shushed everybody as she stared out the window.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked.

"I'm detecting Erik," Tessa stated. "He's with another mutant." An uneasy feeling took over Emma as she began to feel nervous inside.

"So our little Erik was just recruiting for us," Sebastian said. "What passion he has!"

The door swung opened and Erik and Charles both enter. Emma's eyes widen and her jaw dropped as she saw the sight of Charles Xavier, her childhood friend, enter the room. Sebastian got up from his seat and smiled, but before he could greet the two men, he became motionless. Everybody in the room except for Emma, Charles, and Erik were suspended in time. Charles had stopped their minds, thus not allowing them to move.

"What is going on here?" Emma asked.

"We're here to bring you home, Emma," answered Charles.

"This is my home," Emma stated.

"Emma, you can't be serious," Charles said. "What you're doing is illegal. When people start to find out about the existence of mutants, they are going to fear and hate you. Being in an organization that participates in illegal activity is just going to make them want to kill you even more."

"You really think the world is going to find out about mutants?" Erik asked Charles.

"I believe some are already discovering we exist," Charles answered Erik.

"You don't understand," Emma cried out. "I have no home anymore. My parents are dead. There's nowhere else for me to go."

"Come with me," said Charles.

"No!" Emma yelled. "Now release them or I will have to hurt you."

"I like to see you try," said Charles. "But I do believe I am much more powerful than you."

Emma then used her telepathy to enter Charles' mind to make him feel dizzy and give him a headache. Charles felt intense pain in his head which made him release his mind-hold on The Hellfire Club.

"What happened?" Harry said as he looked around confused.

"Erik brought in a friend to kill us!" Emma cried out.

Angered at Emma, Erik used his magnetic power to levitate all the forks, knives, spoons, pots and pans in the kitchen. The kitchen items aimed at the Hellfire Club and were then shot at them until Tessa used her telekinesis to stop them in midair.

"We have to get out of here," Sebastian said to Jason. Jason then waved his hands and suddenly a ring of fire appeared around Charles and Erik. Charles and Erik began to panic as the flames grew bigger and smoke filled the air.

"That man can create fire?" Charles cried out .

"No," Erik answered. "He can create illusions." Suddenly, the two men realized that the ring of fire they were trapped in wasn't real. Charles then used his power to break him and Erik out of the illusion.

The two men looked around to see an empty suite with kitchen items scattered all on the floor. They realized that while trapped in Jason's illusion, The Hellfire Club including Emma, were able to escape.

"They're very powerful," said Erik.

"We can't give up," Charles responded. "We just need to become more powerful than them."

"How?"

"By training...and coming up with a better plan then just barging in on them. And not using kitchen utensils to attack them."

"Are you making fun of me?" Erik laughed. "I had some knives in the air!"

"We better get back to the car," Charles said as he wrapped his arm around Erik's shoulder.

**Present Chapter 7: Invasion of Weapon X**

"You're not going with them?" Professor X asked Jean as they watched the doors to the X-Jet close and the ceiling begun to open.

"They don't need me," Jean said.

"You know that's not true," said Professor X.

"I'm just doubting my contributions," said Jean. "I wasn't very helpful earlier. I couldn't even keep Logan still."

"You just haven't learned to harness your power yet," replied Professor X.

"I've been here for close to 15 years, I still haven't made much progress," said Jean.

"Be patient," Professor X reassured Jean as they watched the X-Jet lift off and fly out of the building.

In northern Alberta, in a military base hidden in the snowy forest, Senator Robert Kelly, his assistant, and a man named William Stryker Sr. walked down a hallway containing jail cells with imprisoned mutants in them. They stopped at the jail cell of a mutant man with blonde hair and a mighty build.

"We plan on using mutant 4543's ability to propel his body into a weapon," William Stryker stated.

"Let me and my sister go!" The imprisoned mutant yelled out. "And my name is not 4543! It's Sam!"

"Or Cannonball, right?" William mocked.

"Weapon X is truly a remarkable program you have here," Senator Kelly said.

"It's also a necessary program," William said. "If that Magneto wants to start a war, then we'll have to be ready to fight him by using his own kind against him."

"Tell me how the mind control device you created work?" Senator Kelly asked.

"It's a simple device that I insert into the mutant's brain," William explained. "It subdues them and makes it easier for me to tell them what to do." Two mutants, a tall, beastly, savage looking man, and an Asian woman join them. Both mutants have the mind controlling device inserted in their left temple. "This beast here is called Sabretooth, and this one here is Deathstrike. Their mutations allow them to rapidly heal themselves. I gave Deathstrike adamantium claws making her more deadly in battle."

"Isn't that what you did to the mutant you sent out?" Senator Kelly asked.

"Yes," answered William. " I planned on giving all three of them adamantium but you called me just before I was going to do the procedure on Sabretooth."

"You know the X-Men have him, right?" said Kelly.

"Yes," William answered with a laugh. "But once they remove the mind controlling device from Wolverine, he won't remember a thing. I designed it that way to protect Weapon X's secrecy. The only way to not have amnesia is to stop the device's signal here, in the base."

"Smart idea," the Senator said.

"I'm sorry, but I have to use the washroom," Kelly's assistant said.

"Sabretooth here will show you where it is," William said as he commanded Sabretooth to take Kelly's assistant to the washroom facility.

Kelly's assistant followed Sabretooth down different hallways until they reached the washroom facility. Sabretooth turned around and motioned the assistant to go into the washroom. The assistant instead kicks Sabretooth in the face before running away. The assistant made his way into another hallway, before turning the corner. He then leaps into the air, grabbing onto pipes in the ceiling. Sabretooth entered in the hallway consumed with anger. Suddenly, two blue feet squeezed his face and twist his neck, rendering him unconscious as he falls to the floor. The feet belonged to shape shifting mutant, Mystique. All along, Mystique disguised herself as Senator Kelly's assistant to gain access into Weapon X's facility.

"Sir, we have a problem," a military soldier said to William back at the jail cells. "A black jet has landed near the parameters of the base."

"Oh, no," Senator Kelly cried out. "It must be the X-Men!"

"Take the senator to a safe place," William commanded the soldier. "Deathstrike, go take care of them." As Deathstrike left and the soldier guided Senator Kelly away, William tried to contact Sabretooth. He wasn't able to get a signal from Sabretooth's mind controlling device.

The X-Jet opened its doors and the X-Men exited. After Colossus transformed into his metal form, he tackled the doors of a garage that lead into the military base. After three hits, Colossus was able to break down the garage door, revealing Deathstrike and a dozen soldiers waiting to defend the base. The soldiers then charged at the X-Men. Cyclops used his optic blast that hit half of the soldiers, leaving them badly injured. Storm then summoned a twister to blow the remaining soldiers into the air, out into the forest. Deathstrike smiled as she looked directly into Wolverine's eyes. Cyclops released another optic blast, this time at Deathstrike but she was too quick for him. Deathstrike then leaps into the air to kick Cyclops in the face, and then lunge onto Wolverine.

"Go! I'll take care of her!" Wolverine yelled out.

"We'll help you!" Cyclops replied.

"No, just go! There are kids in there who need you to free them!" Wolverine yelled out as he elbows Deathstrike in the face. The X-Men then entered the facility, leaving Wolverine to deal with Deathstrike. Wolverine extended his metals claws out, ready for a fight. Deathstrike protracted her metal claws, which unlike Wolverine who had three metal claws that come out of his forearms, she had metal claws that extend from her fingernails.

"Holy shit," Wolverine said before Deathstrike lunged at Wolverine, and dug her metal claws into Wolverine's chest.

Wolverine screamed in pain before digging his claws into Deathstrike's side. Deathstrike then draws her claws out of Wolverine' chest, and begun severely scratching Wolverine's face. Wolverine fell onto the ground, releasing his claws from Deathstrike's body. With a kick, Wolverine was able to send Deathstrike flying across the garage. Wolverine then quickly lifts himself up and charges at Deathstrike with his claws. Deathstrike's cat like behaviour allowed her to gracefully land on her feet, and her quick reflexes allowed her to dodge Wolverine's attack. Suddenly, Deathstrike jumped onto Wolverine's back and furiously stabs him in the neck with her claws. Wolverine spins around with Deathstrike on his back, before he was able to grab her feet and throw her into a parked military jeep.

Inside the base, Mystique had taken over the base's computer room, after killing three soldiers inside. Mystique then disabled the two active mind controlling devices right before Sabretooth, who regained consciousness, entered the room.

"What is going on?" Sabretooth roared.

"Stay with me and I promise your life will be a lot better," Mystique answered as she drew out a communication device. "I'm in. You can come now," Mystique said into the device.

Deathstrike then jumped off the jeep, making Wolverine miss his punch. She then gripped onto Wolverine's hands and looked at him in the eyes. Wolverine's drive to fight stopped as he realized Deathstrike was free from the mind controlling device.

"Logan, why are you trying to kill me?" Deathstrike asked.

"You were trying to kill me first!" Wolverine responded. Wolverine then looked at the door in the garage that accessed the base. "Who gave us these metal claws?"

"You don't remember?" Deathstrike asked in shock. "Stryker. William Stryker. We were in a special army group with him. He convinced us to get the procedure done...he killed my father."

"We have to go in and kill him," Wolverine screamed as he ran into the base. Deathstrike did not follow. The memories of her father's death filled her with anger and sorrow.

**Future Chapter 7: The Self-Appointed Leader**

Inside Emma Frost's mansion, Storm and Cyclops were having an argument on who should be the team leader of the newly reform X-Men.

"I'm the de facto leader!" Cyclops yelled at Storm.

"My ass you are!" Storm said. "You left the team when we needed you most! I had to be the leader for you!"

"Well I'm glad you got the chance to be leader, but now I'm going to take my position back!"

"You can't just take it back! You abandoned the team! We don't even need you!"

"Then why did you rescue me? Should have left me in London with that crazy bitch!"

"I'm starting to think we should have!"

The others were gathered in the kitchen, trying to get away from the yelling. Emma Frost was not pleased with the situation.

"Bobby, this is your fault!" Shadowcat accused.

"How is this my fault?" Iceman defended. "I didn't know it was going to get them into an argument."

"I don't know why they are even fighting," Angel said. "It's clear that Cyclops should be the leader."

"Why is that?" Shadowcat asked.

"Because he's a guy!" replied Angel.

"You sexist!" Shadowcat yelled out.

"She's right, Kitty," said Iceman.

"You're a sexist too!" accused Shadowcat.

"I have to agree with Shadowcat on this," said Beast. "Why can't they be co-leaders like they use to be?"

"Stop it!" Emma cried out. "There are already two people fighting in my living room and I will not have any more people fighting in my kitchen!"

"Why don't you just make someone else the leader?" Toad asked as he used his tongue to dig inside a jar of pickles.

"Good idea, you vile creature," Emma said as she walked out of the kitchen and into her living room.

The others followed her wondering what she was going to do. Emma stopped Storm and Cyclops with her telepathy just in time before Storm's fist hit Cyclops' face. She then calmed their minds and made them less angry.

"I'm tired of your fighting," stated Emma. "I'm going to be the leader of the newly reform X-Men. On missions, you two can be co-leaders like you use to be."

"Fine with me," Cyclops said.

"Fine," Storm agreed.

"Are you sure you are up for the challenge?" Beast asked Emma.

"I've done it before, I can do it again," replied Emma. "Shadowcat, how many mutants do we have joining us?"

"Well, there's Nightcrawler...so like 4 more?" Shadowcat answered.

"Any more mutants we can recruit in America?" Emma asked.

"I'm sure there are lots," Shadowcat answered. "But they're all pretty scattered around the country."

"We don't have time for that," Emma said. "We'll have to go to the one place where there are a lot of mutants...Utopia."


	8. Stories 8

**X-Men: Past, Present, Future**

_Inspired by the films, X-Men: Past, Present, Future follows three separate timelines in the X-Men universe. Each timeline is separated by many years, with the Past storyline happening before the year 2000. The present storyline takes place in 2012, the year this story is currently being written. The future storyline takes place in the year 2022 and beyond. It is clear that each of the timelines affect each other and the stories intertwine._

**Past Chapter 8: Training at the Train Station**

"What kind of training is this?" Erik asked Charles as they walked on one of the platforms. A train left the platform, creating a roaring sound as it left the station.

"It's where you're going to hone your power," Charles said.

"Out in public?" asked Erik.

"There's lots of people here, no one will notice," replied Charles. "If they do, I'll just erase their memory."

"What do you want me to do?"

"The next train on platform 4 is going to leave that station in two minutes. I want you to stop it when it leaves."

"Are you insane? I can't stop something that big! I would never be able to stop a moving train."

"Not with that attitude my friend. You need to practice your skill and believe in your capabilities."

"It won't work. I can't stop something that huge."

"I believe in you, Erik." The two men made their way to platform 4. The train was leaving in less than 30 seconds.

"I don't think this is going to work."

"The great Greek Philosopher, Socrates said that people need to be driven with determination for a balance and happy soul. If you are determine, you will succeed."

Erik stretched his hand towards the train, preparing to stop it. The train began to move. Erik's magnetic force wasn't strong enough to pull the train back.

"Determination, Erik!" Charles whispered in Erik's ear.

With Charles' support, coupled with Erik's desire to break free from Sebastian Shaw, he eventually felt his magnetic power grow. The force from his hand somehow expanded, as Erik began to feel the force pull on the train. Suddenly, the train came to a halt, leaving passengers confused. Charles began to laugh and Erik laughed as well. The two men were so joyful to see the sight of the train unable to move. After a minute of gawking over Erik's magnificent accomplishment, Erik released the train from his magnetic grip, allowing the train to carry on with its journey.

"So what are we going to have you do?" Erik asked as he walked with Charles in the station's main corridor.

"I was just thinking about relaxation techniques to calm my mind," Charles answered.

"Relaxation? You got to be kidding me. That won't do anything for you. How is that going to help you in battle? You're going to relax right before someone punches you?"

"Well what's your idea?" Charles asked.

"Hmm...I've got it! Freeze everyone here. All at the same time."

"Here? The station? There's well over 200 people here!"

"Perfect training!"

"I never froze the minds of that many people before!"

"If you're determine, you will succeed."

Charles took a deep breath and began to focus. He begun to enter the minds of people in the station. He needed to connect to every single mind before he could freeze them all, or it will cause confusion and panic if a few people were frozen before everyone else. Charles was a having a difficult time connecting his mind to everyone because the many thoughts he consumed was overwhelming him.

"Charles, are you alright?" Erik asked. Charles nodded his head as he continued to focus on his goal.

Charles' head felt heavy and overloaded, but after a few minutes he was able to connect to every single individual mind inside and close to Penn Station. He then concentrated harder, and suddenly, everybody in the station except for Erik and himself stopped. The people became motionless, unable to continue with their action. Erik looked around and smiled. Charles' was thrilled at how powerful he became, but secretly it also scared him.

"You did it!" Erik said with happiness. "We're very powerful mutants."

"Well, let us use this new found power for good and get Emma back!" Charles said as he motioned Erik that it was time to leave the station. The two men began to walk before Erik stopped Charles from leaving the door.

"You need to unfreeze their minds," Erik reminded his friend.

"Oh, right!" Charles said. "I almost just left them like that!" Charles gave a wink, and released every mind he had connected to. His head became light again. The two friends then left the station, laughing over how no one had suspected anything unusual happened.

**Present Chapter 8: Meet The Brotherhood**

Wolverine made his way into the military base, following the sounds of screaming and yelling. He eventually found himself in the hallway where the imprisoned mutants were. The bodies of many soldiers scattered around the floor and the X-Men looking at him, made him realized he missed the showdown. Beast and Colossus used their superhuman strength to pull on the bars of the jail cells, giving an opening for the imprisoned mutants.

"I'm only counting 13 mutants here," Cyclops stated.

"The woman who attacked me was a mutant," Wolverine said.

"That's only 14 then," Cyclops said. "Where are the other 2? The Professor said there are 16 trapped."

"Here we are," Mystique said as she entered the hallway with Sabretooth.

"You were imprisoned here?" Angel asked.

"No, I was simply pretending to be Senator Kelly's assistant," replied Mystique. "Did your Professor think I was one of the imprisoned mutants? He should have concentrated harder."

"What are you doing here?" Storm asked.

"Same reason why you're here," said Mystique. "For the imprisoned mutants."

Suddenly, the military base began to rumble. Wolverine felt his body tensing up, as if a force was controlling him. Unable to move, Wolverine's body then started to levitate, making the X-Men confused at the sight.

"I've never had a taste of this type of metal before," said a distinguished man in a red suite and black cape, and a red helmet on his head. The man was Magneto, the leader of the mutant terrorist group, The Brotherhood of Mutant Supremacy. "Adamantium, is it?"

"Magneto!" The X-Men cried out. Magneto was accompanied by the other members of The Brotherhood, Toad and the Blob. Toad was a despicable mutant with green skin, webbed hands and feet, a long tongue, and the ability to jump great heights and distances. Blob was an extremely overweight mutant who had superhuman strength and the ability to digest anything.

"We've come to rescue the mutants," Magneto said he sends Wolverine flying towards Angel. Storm quickly ran to aid her fallen comrades.

"We're not going to let them go with you!" Cyclops yelled out.

"Well, I believe it's their decision," Magneto replied. "It's what Charles would want. Giving them the freedom to choose what side do they want to be on." Magneto looked over to a green haired girl. The girls' face made him realize who exactly she was. "Lorna?" Magneto said as he made his way to the girl.

"Yes?" The girl responded.

"You don't know who I am but I know your mother," Magneto stated.

"Don't believe him!" Cyclops yelled out.

"Don't ever call me a liar when it comes to a child's mother!" Magneto yelled at Cyclops. He turned his attention to Lorna, looking deep into his eyes. "I can bring you home to your mother." Lorna felt teary in her eyes as she grabbed Magneto's hand, accepting his invitation into The Brotherhood. The X-Men felt defeated as they loss the young girl to Magneto.

"Listen, if you join the X-Men, you will be going to a safe place. You will be given an education and proper training, so you can control your powers and learn to defend yourself. If you've ever felt scared or alone, Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters will make you feel like you belong," said Cyclops as he hoped for the younger mutants to go with the X-Men.

"And if you ever felt angry or betrayed by the world, and you wanted to fight back and gain your independence , then join The Brotherhood. We believe that mutants are the superior race, and the true rulers of the world!" Magneto stated with confidence.

A blonde haired mutant held his sister's hand as he approached Cyclops.

"Will you protect my sister and I?" The mutant asked.

"Yes," Cyclops said as he welcomed the two mutants.

One by one, the other mutants made their decision on what side they wanted to join. Eventually, three adult mutants joined The Brotherhood as well as Sabretooth, who had a desire to be with Mystique, who he found attractive. The rest of the mutants who were children joined the X-Men, who wished to feel safe.

"It looks like they have made their choice," Magneto said as he led his team out of the base."Goodbye, X-Men." Suddenly, Magneto swung his right hand in the air, making the metal pipes in the ceiling burst, releasing hot steam and catching the X-Men off gaurd.

"Dammit!" Angel yelled out.

"Let's get everyone back to the X-Jet!" Cyclops yelled out as he grabbed the hands of two children before leading the way to the exit.

Outside in the forest, William Stryker Sr. ran through the thick, deep snow. Suddenly, a hand grabbed him and pushed him into the trunk of a pine tree. It was Deathstrike, who was seeking revenge on William for killing her father.

"Going somewhere?" Deathstrike said as she forced William to sit down on the snow.

"Deathstrike," William said. "You're alive. Let's get out of here together!"

"Why would I want to be with a man who killed my father?" Deathstrike yelled out as she stabbed William with her metal claws. William cried out in agony.

"You think I killed your father?" William said as he suffered through the pain. "I might have given the order to kill your father when he refused me accessed into his mine, but I didn't do the act myself! It was Wolverine who killed your father!"

"You're lying!" Deathstrike screamed as she stabbed William in the neck.

"It's true," William said as he took his last breath. Deathstrike screamed in anger as she looked towards the sky and saw the X-Jet fly over, leaving the area.

**Future Chapter 8: Iceman Confronts Rogue**

"We leave for Utopia in two days," Beast said to Iceman as he drove into the city. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I believe I can convince her to come with us," said Iceman. "I just need to talk to her."

They entered the neighbourhood, known as District X, and parked the car near on a street full of apartments. Iceman texted Rogue a few hours earlier, asking her to meet him at Java X, a popular coffee shop located in District X. Beast decided to wait in the car as Iceman went inside Java X, and spotted Rogue at the table.

"Are you going to order anything?" Iceman asked.

"No," Rogue said. "But you can if you want."

"I'd rather just talk to you," Iceman said. After a pause, Iceman took a deep breath and exhaled a puff of cold air. "You know I'm not angry at you anymore, right?"

"That's good," said Rogue. "I'm not angry at you either."

"I hope he makes you happy," Iceman said.

"He does," said Rogue. "Thank you."

"Did you finish whatever business you have here?"

"Yes. I'm free now."

"What did she say to you?" Iceman asked wondering if he was intruding too much on Rogue's business. He knew exactly why Rogue was here. It was to talk to her mother, Mystique.

"She said she had to give me up, because she didn't want me to be raised in The Brotherhood. She wanted a better life for me."

The two mutants sat in silence for a while. Iceman looked out of the store window, spotting Beast in the car, falling asleep.

"Do you want to join us?" asked Iceman.

"I'm going home to Gambit," Rogue said. "We'll see where I'll be after that."

To be continued...


	9. Stories 9

**X-Men: Past, Present, Future**

_Inspired by the films, X-Men: Past, Present, Future follows three separate timelines in the X-Men universe. Each timeline is separated by many years, with the Past storyline happening before the year 2000. The present storyline takes place in 2012, the year this story is currently being written. The future storyline takes place in the year 2022 and beyond. It is clear that each of the timelines affect each other and the stories intertwine._

**Past Chapter 9: The Hellfire Club Goes to Hell**

"You stupid girl!" Sebastian yelled after he slapped Emma across the face. "How could you tell your stupid telepath friend about us?"

"I swear, I didn't!" Emma said as she begun to cry. "I had nothing to do with him and Erik attacking us."

"I'm finding it very hard to trust you!" Sebastian yelled out as he left the room with Jason and Harry.

Emma sat on the sofa, touching her red cheek. The Hellfire Club had escape Charles' and Erik's first attack, and was now hiding out in another apartment suite they owned. Tessa stood over Emma, silently watching her cry. The two women of the Hellfire Club did not talk very much, but there was a mutual respect for each other because they were the only women.

"You should go," Tessa said.

"What?" Emma asked.

"You shouldn't be here anymore," Tessa said. "Sebastian is just going to end up hurting you again and again. It's best you leave."

"I have nowhere to go."

"You have your friend and Erik. They want to help you."

Emma got up from her seat, and walked towards the door. She stopped, and looked back at Tessa. Emma was uncertain on what she had to do.

"It's ok," Tessa said. "They left to go to the bar. They're not out there."

"Thank you, Tessa," said Emma.

"Call me, Sage," said Tessa.

After a hour long taxi ride, Emma found herself at Xavier's estate. She had not been to the estate for years. She remembered the moments Charles and her would play hide and seek. It would take them hours to find each other inside and outside the mansion.

Emma rung the doorbell and waited a few minutes. The night was calm and the moon was full. There was a stillness in the air, that made Emma less scared of her decision to leave The Hellfire Club. Suddenly, the door opened.

"So, where are they hiding out now?" Erik asked. Emma was welcomed into the mansion, and now the group was discussing their next plan of action.

"The second suite," answered Emma as she took a sip of her red wine.

"Do we really have to fight them now?" Charles asked as he held Moira's hand.

"Yes, we do," answered Emma. "If we don't, Sebastian will come after us. He will kill Erik and I."

"I just find this whole thing dangerous," Moira said. Charles took a deep breath and calmed his mind. He wanted to help his friends, but he agreed with Moira that it was dangerous. He only wanted to help Erik before so he could rescue Emma. Now that she's safe and with him, he felt no need to fight The Hellfire Club. But he knew Erik and Emma wanted to, and he had to help his friends.

The door swung open, and Charles, Erik and Emma entered the second suite. There was no sight of Sebastian or the rest of the Hellfire Club. The three then heard footsteps walking down the stairs that led to the second floor. The footsteps belonged to Sebastian, Jason, and Harry.

"A surprise visit I see," said Sebastian as he made his way down the stairs. "Tell me, Emma, did you convince Tessa to resign from The Hellfire Club as well? I was utterly surprise to see this note she left, saying she wasn't happy being in the club anymore."

"Maybe she's tired of working for a little man like you," Emma responded.

"What are you here for?" Sebastian asked with a grin.

Suddenly, Erik used his power to control a decorative sword on the wall to attack Sebastian. Sebastian dodged the sword, allowing it to hit Harry, who touched it and decreased the mass of the sword to microscopic size. Jason then created an illusion of a tiger who tried to attack Erik. Charles and Emma focused their telepathy on Jason's mind, giving him a severe headache that stopped his illusion. The two telepaths then froze his mind, not allowing him to move.

"I'll get rid of them!" Harry yelled out as he drew a toothpick from his pocket, and increased its mass to create a giant toothpick. Harry lunged at Emma with the giant toothpick. Emma dodged and tripped Harry, who fell on his back, and lost his grip on the toothpick, which made it go back to its original size. Emma then froze Harry's mind.

"This is it!" Erik yelled out as he used his magnetic force to shoot a bullet out of a gun. It was the same gun that killed Emma's parents. The bullet shot at Sebastian, but suddenly it stopped in midair. Sebastian begun to absorb the bullet's kinetic energy into his hands.

"Kinetic energy," Sebastian said. "I can transform it into a different energy, such a thermo energy. This will cause an explosion that will kill us all." Sebastian began to release thermo energy out from his hands, causing fire to flicker from his palms. Charles and Emma frozen Sebastian's mind, suspending his action.

"We have to get out of here," Charles yelled out. The three mutants ran out of the suite, and outside to the street. Charles and Emma nodded to each other signalling to release their mind lock on the Hellfire Club. Suddenly, an explosion destroyed the apartment suite, killing the Hellfire Club inside.

**Present Chapter 9: The New Students**

"I can't believe I didn't detect Mystique when Senator Kelly came for the tour of the school," Professor X said to Storm.

"It's alright," replied Storm. "You made a promise to yourself that you wouldn't read anyone's mind without their permission unless it was absolutely necessary."

"I often find myself trusting people too easily," Professor X stated. Jean entered the office with a clipboard in hand.

"I've got all their information and called most of their parents," Jean said. "Some of them are wanting to come to visit the school. Most of them seem on board with their kid being here."

"Can I see their info?" Storm asked, reaching her hand out for the clipboard. Jean handed Storm the clipboard, that contained the new student's information.

**The New Students:**

Roberto Da Costa (age 16) Mutation: absorbs sunlight giving him superhuman strength and speed. Background: kidnapped from his home in Brazil.

Melody (age 12) Mutation: flight. Background: Kidnapped with her brother in New York.

Amara Aquilla (age 16) Mutation: able to generate and control lava. Background: Parents gave her to Weapon X, believing it was a program to help her with her mutation.

Armando Munoz (age 15) Mutation: body can adapt to any environment. Background: kidnapped while on vacation in Mexico.

Jubilation Lee (age 15) Mutation: able to generate sparks from her hands. Background: Volunteered herself in the Weapon X program, believing it was to help her with her mutation.

Victor Borkowski (age 12) Mutation: can stick to solid objects, high flexibility and high reflexes, ability to grow loss limbs. Background: Kidnapped from orphanage.

Idie Okonkwo (age 15) Mutation: temperature manipulation. Background: Kidnapped from her village in Nigeria.

Jamie Madrox (age 15) Mutation: can make several copies of himself. Background: Weapon X got involved with his robbery case, in order to imprisoned him themselves.

"What about Samuel?" Storm asked.

"He's too old to enrol as a student," answered Jean. "But since his sister Melody is attending here, I think we should let him stay. Both their parents are gone."

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Professor X said. "I'm sure we'll find a suitable role for him here."

"Such as joining the X-Men?" asked Storm.

Cyclops stood on the balcony, watching the clouds. He wasn't sure why he was feeling so stress and anxious. Jean came out on to the balcony, and wrapped her arms around her fiancé. She could sense that he wasn't feeling well.

"I know what you were hoping for," Jean said. "You should be happy that Alex wasn't one of the imprisoned mutants."

"Yes, but that means I'm not getting any closer to finding him," said Cyclops.

"You know I would doing anything to help you," said Jean.

Inside the mansion, Wolverine stared out the window onto the balcony, watching Jean embrace Cyclops. He felt an attraction to her, but he could tell that Jean was madly in love with Cyclops. Professor X and two young men entered the room. One man had blonde hair and blue eyes, a very boy next door look. The other man had blue skin and a blue tail; it was obvious he was a mutant.

"Ah, Logan," Professor X said. "I would like you to meet two former students, Bobby Drake, also called Iceman and Kurt Wagner, also called Nightcrawler."

"Hello," Kurt greeted.

"Hi," said Bobby.

"Hey," Wolverine responded. "Look, Professor, I'm glad I got to help defeat Weapon X. But I don't think I need to stay here anymore."

"It's your choice, Logan," Professor X said. "But you will always have a place here. You can finally have a real home here...a real family." Logan paused as he felt a strange warmth in his heart. A real home was what he always wanted.

Bobby and Kurt were joined by the students in the living room. Everyone always got excited when graduated students came back to the school for a visit.

"How's college going for you?" Kitty asked Bobby and Kurt.

"Physical education is what I was meant to do!" Iceman said.

"And I'm meant to do Drama!" said Kurt as he teleported from area in the room to make a sad face, then another area to make a happy face.

"Maybe I should do Drama?" Julian said.

"I want to study Geology," stated Sooraya.

"I heard you guys got more students," said Bobby.

"Yes," said Sofia. "We're helping them adjust. Remember when we were all new here?"

"I remember I couldn't control my power while I slept!" Kitty said. "I kept falling through my bed and waking up in the kitchen in the morning." Everybody laughed.

"What are we going to do about Senator Kelly?" Colossus asked. The X-Men, including Wolverine joined the Professor in his office to discuss what happened at the Weapon X facility.

"I'm sure he won't say anything," Angel said. "It won't be a smart move. It will reveal to the country that he was behind Wolverine attacking New York."

"There's going to be a lot of questions from people," said Beast.

"Don't worry, I took care of that," Angel said with a sly grin. "I got me and the Professor a spot on The View."

"The View?" asked Cyclops. "Like the TV show with the women who talk about things?"

"That's right," Angel said as he smiled at Professor X who had a worry look on his face.

**Future Chapter 9: Remembering the Fallen**

At Emma's mansion, the group began to prepare for their trip to Utopia. They had one day left before leaving America, to go to the island of Genosha, that was renamed Utopia during "The Great Battle of Genosha." It was a time in history that affected both mutant and humankind.

"Are you sure you want to fly to Utopia?" Beast asked Emma as they sat at the dining room table.

"Of course," Emma answered. "I appointed myself as leader of the X-Men. I must join you every step on the way."

"Wouldn't it bring back horrible memories of the Great Battle?" Beast said.

"The battle was hardly as great as they play it out to be," Emma snickered.

"It was 'Great' because we lost two great men," said Beast.

"Charles and Erik both died for a great cause," Emma said. "Utopia was created in their honour. What people in Utopia are not understanding is that we shouldn't be segregated. We shouldn't be restricted to an island. We need our share of the world as well."

"Is it sharing that you desire?" Beast asked. "Or is it conquering?"

In the living room, Iceman and Shadowcat sat on the couch talking.

"We should go to bed early," Iceman said.

"I'm just waiting for a text message from Sofia," Shadowcat said.

"What is taking Nightcrawler so long?" Iceman asked.

"He said he and the guys will be meeting us at Utopia," answered Shadowcat.

"He's probably partying with the boys down there," joked Iceman.

"Oh it's Sofia!" Shadowcat said as she opened a text message from Wind Dancer. "She says the bus she's on will take her to New York by 3:00 am. She'll be here before we leave for Utopia."

"Great," said Iceman. "I can't believe this is happening."

"I know," Shadowcat said. "And it's all thanks to us! We reformed the X-Men!"

On a bus heading to New York, Wind Dancer sat at the back, listening to her music. She couldn't fall asleep on the bus, because she was too excited to rejoin her fellow X-Men. She looked out her window, and noticed the bus slowing down. Something was pushing on the bus. Passengers began to wake up from their sleep and panic.

"Mutants are attacking!" The bus driver yelled out. A mob of anarchic mutants had stopped the bus. They were chanting "New Mutant World Order!" over and over.

"Let me off the bus!" Wind Dancer yelled as she tried to push her way to the front. "I can help!"

"It's too dangerous!" The bus driver yelled out as he grabbed Wind Dancer, preventing her from getting off the bus.

"But I'm a mutant!" Wind Dancer said. "I can help stop them!" The bus driver slowly let go when he heard those words come from the beautiful young lady.

Wind Dancer exited the bus and summoned a wind to make her fly. She flew onto the top of the bus and began lifting mutants into the air and throwing them away. She was able to remove all the mutants that were attacking the bus. She returned to the ground and looked at the bus. The passengers still had the same look of fear on their faces. Wind Dancer entered the bus slowly, afraid of what the passengers might do.

"You're not letting her back on are you?" asked a passenger. "She could hurt us!"

"I won't hurt you," Wind Dancer said.

"How can we trust you?" another passenger cried out.

"We're letting her back on," announced the bus driver. "She saved us from the real dangerous mutants."

"Are you crazy!" Another passenger yelled out.

"She helped us!" The bus passenger said. "Now everybody sit down! We're only an hour away from the city. If anybody has a problem, they can leave." The passengers sat back down. Before Wind Dancer returned to her seat, the bus driver grabbed her hand and said, "I knew not all mutants are bad."

To be continued...


	10. Stories 10

**X-Men: Past, Present, Future**

_Inspired by the films, X-Men: Past, Present, Future follows three separate timelines in the X-Men universe. Each timeline is separated by many years, with the Past storyline happening before the year 2000. The present storyline takes place in 2012, the year this story is currently being written. The future storyline takes place in the year 2022 and beyond. It is clear that each of the timelines affect each other and the stories intertwine._

**Past Chapter 10: Moira's Jealousy**

"The President will be there?" Erik asked as he drank his scotch. Erik and Charles were enjoying a drink in the den of the mansion, a nightly routine of theirs ever since they defeated The Hellfire Club together. It had been a month since they met each other, but they have quickly developed a bond between them.

"Yes he will be," answered Charles.

"This is going to be quite a speech."

"Of course. But not just because the President will be there. It's because the most powerful people in America are all coming to hear me talk about genetics, evolution, and of course, mutation."

"You mean, anyone with power in this country will all learn about mutants?"

"That's right!"

"Let me be a part of your speech!"

"What?"

"You don't have to give me stuff to say! Just let me demonstrate my power!"

"You mean publicly go out and show them that mutants truly exist?"

"Yes!"

"I don't know..."

"You have to do this! No one would believe you unless they see it for themselves!"

"Give them a bit more credit than that."

Out in the hallway, Moira was listening to the conversation. Suddenly, Emma walked by giving a look to Moira before heading into the kitchen. Moira was embarrassed that Emma had caught her spying on Charles and Erik. After composing herself, Moira entered the kitchen, to be greeted by a grinning Emma drinking a glass of red wine.

"I was simply..." Moira started but couldn't finish her sentence.

"I know what you were doing," said Emma.

"Please don't read my mind," said Moira.

"I don't have to," said Emma. "Honey, I may be a mutant but I'm a woman first. I know what you're going through."

"Well, care to tell me what you think?"

"You're jealous."

"Jealous?" Moira laughed. "Jealous of what?"

"You're jealous that Charles has been spending so much time with Erik, and hardly any time with you."

"Well, I guess...you may be right...about that..."

"Look, you should be happy that Charles has a friend now. He's never been the type to make many close friends."

"I guess I shouldn't let my feelings get in the way."

"Yes...but there's also a thing call moderation."

"What do you mean?"

"Charles is addicted to Erik. He needs to spend more time with you."

"You're just reinforcing all the negative feelings I have about their friendship!"

"Listen! If you want Charles back, you're going to have to get Erik focused on someone else."

"Who?"

"Another person...a woman."

"A woman?" Moira said with a raised eye brow. Moira began to leave the kitchen, but then turned around and looked at Emma who was finishing off her glass of wine. "Why are you still here?"

"I'm redecorating my mansion so it won't remind me about my parent's death."

"How did you get the police to stop investigating their murders?"

"I erased their minds," Emma said with a wink.

The following day, Erik and Charles sat outside eating lunch on the mansion's patio. Moira came out to the patio with another woman beside her. The woman was slender, had dark brown hair, and a beautiful smile. Erik quickly took notice of the woman.

"Charles, Erik, this my friend, Magda Wisner," Moira introduced her friend.

"Hello," said Magda.

"Why, hello, gorgeous," Erik said as he kissed Magda's hand. Charles gave Moira a glare and proceeded to enter her mind.

"What do you think you're doing?" asked Charles inside Moira's mind.

"Just introducing my friend," Moira answered in her head.

**Present Chapter 10: Jean-Paul and Jeanne-Marie**

Jean welcomed twins, Jean-Paul and Jeanne-Marie Beaubier, to the school as they were being dropped off by their parents. The twins were born in Montreal Canada, but because their parents travelled a lot, and both of their parents not speaking fluent French, the twins spoke English more fluently. Jean-Paul had clean cut brown hair and an athletic build. Jeanne-Marie had long wavy brown hair, and a model-like body. The twins were 16 years old, both had the ability to fly and run at high speeds, and both were able to emit blinding light from their bodies. Their parents hugged them goodbye and left the mansion. Jean led them to the third floor to show them to their rooms.

"We usually have four to a bedroom, but some bedrooms only have two beds" Jean said as she opened the door to Jeanne-Marie's room. "You'll be sharing a bedroom with Kitty, Sofia, and Sooraya."

"I won't be sharing a bedroom with my brother?" Jeanne-Marie asked Jean as she entered the bedroom.

"No co-ed roommates," Jean responded.

"Oh, I don't mind," replied Jeanne-Marie. "I always had to share a bedroom with my brother."

Jean then led Jean-Paul down the hallway to an empty room. Jean-Paul looked around confused. The bedroom had two beds in it, but there wasn't any stuff in it. It was as if the bedroom didn't have any owners.

"This is one of the two bed bedrooms," Jean stated.

"I can see that," said Jean-Paul. "I don't have a roommate?"

"Not yet," Jean said as she patted Jean-Paul's back. "You and your sister can get settle for today. You won't have to start classes until tomorrow." Jean left Jean-Paul alone in the room. Jean-Paul placed his luggage near the side of the bed and shed a tear. Despite his sister attending the school with him, he felt lonely. He felt like no one understood him.

"It's on now!" Max said as he turned the television on for everyone to watch. Everybody gathered around the television as they heard one of the hosts of "The View" announce their guest, "Professor Charles Xavier and Warren Worthington III."

"This is so exciting!" Storm said as she sat down next to Beast and Colossus.

"The camera really does add ten pounds," Colossus said as Angel's image appeared on screen.

"So, tell me Professor, what do you think of Proposition X?" asked host #1.

"Well, as we all know Proposition X is to allow mutants to marry and have the same benefits that any human married couple may have," Professor X answered. "I honestly don't see why mutants shouldn't have these benefits before."

"That's because marriage is between a man and woman," replied host #2. "It's one thing to let gays get marry, but to let non-humans marry, that just ruins the sanctity of marriage all together!"

"Now, hold on," host #3 responded. "That level of intolerance is what is wrong with this country!"

"You're only saying that because your daughter is a mutant," replied host #2 to host #3. "You're biased."

"Well, what we're forgetting is that Proposition X is also to make other things legal such as mutants being allowed to donate blood and organs, and that they are allowed insurance privileges," Angel stated. "It's civil rights for all."

"Insurance companies don't want mutants to be covered because their mutations may cause tons of damages and cost them lot of money!" host #4 cried out.

"And if Proposition X goes through, there we'll be farther away from the Mutant Registration Act," said host #2.

"That is actually a good thing in the mutant community," Professor X replied.

"Yes, but it is not a good thing for America as a whole," stated host #2.

"What do you mean by that?" asked host #4.

"Well, a lot of mutants are potentially dangerous," answered host #2. "If we don't force them to register, we will never be able to know who can potentially create hurricanes or move entire cities with a flick of wrist! We register gun owners, so we should register mutants as well. It's all about safety for all, whether you're a human or not."

"You are very anti-mutant," host #3 replied.

"And you are anti-human!" host #2 yelled.

"I am pro-mutant!" host #3 yelled back.

Jean was in the lower levels of the school, reorganizing the room where the X-Men kept their uniforms. After she was done cleaning, Jean walked out into the hallway. She remembered talking to Cyclops and saying that she would do anything to help him find his little brother. That was when she looked towards Cerebro's doors. If she was going to help her fiancé find Cerebro, she had to break the rules and go against the Professor. Jean entered Cerebro, and placed the helmet on her head. She powered the machine on with her mind, causing a flash of light to fill the round room. The machine overwhelmed Jean's head and caused her much discomfort and pain. Jean fell to her knees as she took the helmet off. Her head was dizzy and her body felt drained.

"Scott," Jean said as she slowly entered the bedroom. She stumbled, and fell into Cyclops' arms.

"Jean, what's wrong?" Cyclops asked as he tried to help Jean stand up.

"I know where Alex is."

**Future Chapter 10: Flight to Utopia**

The newly reformed X-Men, with Toad, boarded the X-Jet. Wind Dancer made it to the mansion just a half hour before the team was about to leave for Utopia. After a few minutes, the X-Jet lifted off Emma's estate and began its journey to Utopia.

"I don't want to be here!" Toad yelled out. "Why didn't you just leave me at your place?"

"Like I would leave you in my mansion to stink up the place!" replied Emma.

"It's going to take about three hours to get to Utopia," Cyclops announced.

"I thought you made improvements on this thing?" Angel said to Beast.

"Three hours is better than ten hours!" Beast replied with a chuckle.

"I'm just glad you made it on time, Sofia!" said Shadowcat.

"I'm glad too," Wind Dancer responded.

Suddenly, a beeping sound came from the jet's dashboard.

"What's wrong?" Emma asked.

"There's a fighter-jet nearby," Storm answered. "They want to communicate with us."

"Let them," Emma said. Storm turned on the communication device and a voice from the other plane answered.

"Illegal aircraft, you are order to descend to 15 000 feet!" the other plane commanded.

"I wonder if they know we're mutants," Cyclops stated.

"They'll shoot us down if they find out," Beast replied.

"Well, wouldn't that be a good training session?" Emma replied with a grin.

"Frost, what are you doing?" Beast yelled out as he noticed Emma close her eyes. "Answer me, Frost!"

"What is she doing?" Iceman asked.

"She's telling them we're mutants!" Beast cried out.

"Why?" Iceman screamed.

"Because our leader is a crazy bitch!" Angel yelled out.

An alarm in the jet set off, as a missile appeared on the dashboard screen.

"They fired a missile at us!" Cyclops yelled out. "It's tracking us!"

"I'm going to have to swoop!" Storm screamed as she manoeuvred the X-Jet to swoop down near the ocean water and then back up. The missile hit the ocean and exploded.

"The fighter-jet is still following us, Storm!" Cyclops yelled.

"Get us away from it!" Toad screamed.

"Yeah, and then push Emma out!" yelled Angel.

" I have an idea," Storm yelled out as her eyes turned solid white.

Storm summoned a powerful hurricane, that hit the middle of the ocean. The fighter-jet got caught in the powerful winds, which caused it to crash into the ocean. Storm ended the hurricane as the X-Jet flew away from the danger.

"Good job, Storm," Emma said as she broke from her trance.

"You endangered us!" Beast yelled.

"I was training you," replied Emma. "You haven't been training since the team disbanded."

"Are they going to be alright?" Shadowcat asked.

"Don't worry, they landed just a swim away from the shore," Emma said.

"They're going to go to the government and tell them that they were attacked by mutants in a jet!" Angel cried out.

"Don't worry, I erased their memories," Emma replied with a wink.

"You're a dangerous mutant," said Beast.

"Honey, that's why I'm the leader."

To be continued...


	11. Stories 11

**X-Men: Past, Present, Future**

***I accidently uploaded Stories 9 as Stories 11. I fixed it now.***

**Past Chapter 11: Charles' Jealousy**

Charles sat in the living room, figuring out what he wanted to say in his speech on genetics and mutation that was due in less than three weeks. He was nervous and excited at the same time. What made him lose focus constantly was the thought of his new acquired best friend, Erik, who is now dating a woman named Magda for a month. Charles' mind told him not to stress over Erik, and that jealousy was not a good distraction for not writing his speech. After an hour of struggling to finish the speech, Charles' heard the door to his mansion open. He knew Moira was still at school, and that Emma was in her bedroom. The only person would have been Erik.

"Erik!" Charles greeted with joy.

"Hello, Charles," Erik greeted as he closed the door.

"Do you want to hear what I have for my speech?" Charles asked.

"Maybe later," said Erik as he walked up the stairs. "I'm getting ready for my date with Magda."

"Another date?" asked Charles as he followed Erik up the stairs. "Didn't you spend the night with her last night?"

"Yes," said Erik. "And it was a good night." Erik entered his bedroom and closed the door behind him, leaving Charles standing in the upstairs hallway by himself.

Charles was consumed by the feeling of loneliness. Charles had felt the feeling before when he was a child. It was difficult for him to attend school because of his mutation. Charles was unable to focus, because his telepathy would switch on and off at random times, which caused emotional distress for him and severe headaches. He eventually had to be homeschooled until he entered university. With not much social interaction with other children, Charles' became a lonely child who yearned for a friend.

Suddenly, Emma's bedroom door opened and Emma came out with several bags and luggage in her hands. Charles' ran to aid Emma when he saw her struggling to carry everything.

"Emma, what is with all these bags?" asked Charles.

"I'm moving out," answered Emma as she and Charles carried the luggage down the stairs.

"You're moving out?" asked a surprised Charles.

"You didn't think I was going to stay here forever did you?" asked Emma.

"Of course not," said Charles. He thought of Emma and him as children. Emma, although she would be deemed Charles' childhood friend, would only occasionally visit him a few times a year. As they entered their teenage years, Emma visited him less, causing Charles loneliness to develop more.

"Thank you, Charles," Emma said as they place the luggage at the door.

"No, problem," said Charles. "Do you need a ride?"

"No, I called my driver. He should be coming in a few minutes."

"I hope you come visit a lot."

"I know you do. Just like when we were kids, right?"

"Yeah."

"Look, Erik is still your good friend. You just need to understand that when someone falls in love, they want to spend every waking moment with them. Just give Erik some space."

"You always seem to have the answer to questions I never asked you."

"Well, you're a telepath too, you should know."

"I have a feeling that I should read your mind and find out if you know more than you should about this new relationship Erik has with Magda."

"Perhaps you should read Moira's mind instead...but without invading her privacy, I'm sure you can figure it out on your own."

At a classy restaurant, Erik and Magda sat at a table, enjoying a fine dinner with red wine. Erik felt overwhelmed with happiness. He has a factory job, a good friend, and a beautiful girlfriend. Erik felt like smiling almost every minute because he enjoyed life.

"You're smiling an awful lot tonight," said Magda as she sipped her wine.

"Are you saying my smile is awful?" joked Erik.

"Don't be silly," Magda laughed. "I could marry you on your smile alone."

Erik paused as he was intrigued by Magda's words. "Would you?"

"Would I what?" asked Magda.

"Marry me?"

"Erik, I was kidding."

"Yes, but were you lying?"

Magda paused as she looked into Erik's eyes to come up with an answer. She only had one: "No. No, I wasn't lying. I would marry you."

"Then let's do it!"

"Are you serious?"

"Yes!"

"Erik, listen to yourself for a minute. We've know each other for a month!"

"Yes, but it feels right! I want to marry you!"

"...I guess...we should then."

"Are you saying 'yes'?"

"Yes!"

Erik and Magda walked into the parking lot. It was night time and no one was around. The moon was shining brighter than usual. The street lights dimly illuminated the area of the city, giving a romantic atmosphere to the otherwise, grungy streets.

"Before, I marry you, I have to show you something," Erik said as he stopped at their car.

"What is it?" Magda wondered. Erik extended his arm towards the car and used his magnetic force to lift it off the air. He then slowly twisted his hand back and forth, which made the floating car rotate. Magda was in awe of the sight.

"I'm a mutant, Magda," said Erik. "I can manipulate metal...are you afraid?"

"No," Magda replied. "I'm...amazed."

Charles found himself in the living room again, trying to edit his speech. He was alone this time in the house, which he actually quite enjoyed. The peace that he yearned to be away from was a good vacation from the stress he was feeling with Erik. Last night, Erik came home with Magda to announce their engagement to Moira and Charles. It was exciting news and Charles was happy for his friend. But he did get the feeling of jealousy once again. Suddenly, the doorbell rung. Charles opened the door to find Magda standing at the entrance.

"Magda!" said a surprised Charles. "Erik is at work right now."

"Yes, I know," said Magda. "I came here to see you."

"Me?"

"Erik told me you were writing a speech...on mutation...would you mind reading it to me? I want to know more about mutants...more about Erik."

Charles was surprised at what Magda was saying. He realized that Erik had told Magda about his mutation. Then he realized that Erik had also been talking about him, which made Charles' very happy to know that his best friend still cared.

"You do know, Erik isn't the only mutant around here?"

**Present Chapter 11: Finding Alex Summers**

The X-Jet flew into the orange sky as the sun began to set in New York. Cyclops and Jean were flying to Chicago, where Jean telepathically found Alex using Cerebro. Cyclops was excited to see his little brother; Alex was the only family he had left.

"Are you sure you should be flying with me?" asked Cyclops.

"I'm fine now," said Jean who recovered from the pain of using Cerebro for the first time.

"Tell me if you feel weak, ok?"

"Ok."

Back at the school, Storm, Wolverine and the new addition to the team, Samuel, were sitting at the dining room table, discussing about the X-Men.

"So, now that both of you are in the X-Men, you also have to help teach the children," Storm said.

"Who said I was an X-Men?" Wolverine asked.

"You said you would help us on our missions," stated Storm.

"Yeah, but I never said I would be part of the team," Wolverine replied. "Just think of me as a little cameo in your little superhero movie."

"We're not superheroes," said Storm.

"You sure act like you are," replied Wolverine.

"I got a diploma in visual arts," said Samuel.

"That's great! You can teach art to the students then!" said Storm. "I'm so glad to have you're on the team, Samuel."

"Cannonball," said Samuel. "Please call me Cannonball."

The X-Jet landed on the top of an apartment building in Chicago. Cyclops and Jean exited the plane and made their way to the door that led inside the building. Jean used her telekinesis to unlock and open the door. The apartment was where Jean had located Alex, and as they entered it, Jean could sense his mind more.

Back at the school, Jean-Paul entered the dining room from the kitchen, trying to quickly make his way out before the three adults mutants could talk to him.

"Hey, Jean-Paul!" Storm greeted, stopping Jean-Paul in his tracks. "How are you liking it here so far?"

"My sister and I like the campus," Jean-Paul shyly said. "It's nice."

"How about the people?" asked Storm. "Did you make any friends?"

"I met about everybody," said Jean-Paul. "They're all pretty nice."

"Any girls you interested in?" Wolverine joked.

"No," said Jean-Paul. "...I like boys."

"Oh?" said Wolverine with a raised eye-brow. "How do I look to you?"

"Logan!" Storm yelled with a slap to Wolverine's head. "Don't make fun of him!"

"I wasn't!" Wolverine yelled out.

"Ms. Munroe, can I ask you a question?" asked Jean-Paul.

"Call me Storm, and yes, you can ask me anything," answered Storm.

"I heard Ms. Grey can read minds like the professor," said Jean-Paul. "Did she read my mind and found out I was...gay...and gave me a room to myself so I wouldn't scare the other kids?"

The adult mutants were shocked at what Jean-Paul was saying. Storm got up from her chair and embraced Jean-Paul with a hug. "Don't ever think that," said Storm. "We only gave you a room to yourself because it was the only room we had available. You won't be alone for long. When another student enrols, they'll be your new roommate."

"Thank you," said Jean-Paul as his feeling of loneliness left his body.

"No problem," replied Storm. "If you ever need to talk about anything, I'm here for you. I'm the school counsellor."

"You're the school counsellor?" asked Wolverine. "Shouldn't the counsellor have less of an attitude?"

"Don't start with me!" Storm warned Wolverine as the sound of thunder roared outside.

As Jean-Paul walked up the stairs, he noticed one of the younger students, Victor standing on the stairs and watching him. Jean-Paul smiled as he knew that Victor had been listening.

"Yeah, I'm gay, so what?" said Jean-Paul jokingly.

"That's cool," said Victor. "Hey, do you want to have lunch sometime?"

"Sure, Victor," said Jean-Paul as he kept on walking. In his head, Jean-Paul told himself that 12 year old Victor was too young, and wasn't even his type.

"Call me Anole," Victor said as he watched his crush walk away.

"Here," Jean said as she pointed at the door of apartment 55C.

"Are you sure?" Cyclops asked.

"I'm positive," Jean said as she knocked on the door. Cyclops and Jean waited, as they heard the sound of someone approaching the door. The door swung open, and a sight surprised both of them. A woman opened the door, and this particular woman looked similarly like Jean.

**Future Chapter 11: Welcome to Utopia**

The X-Jet landed on the island of Genosha, now called Utopia. It was an island that was claimed by mutants, becoming a safe haven for mutants. The newly reformed X-Men exited the jet as they were greeted by a group of citizens of Utopia consisting of Wolverine, Colossus, Dust, Hellion, Jubilee, Oya and Psylocke.

"Well, I haven't seen you guys in a while," said Wolverine who was now one of the official leaders of Utopia.

"It's nice to see you," said Storm as she kissed Wolverine on the cheek.

"Just like old times?" said Wolverine. "Except I use to get tongue."

"Emma," greeted Colossus. "We welcome you to Utopia!"

"Thank you," Emma replied. "How has it been here these past few years?"

"We had it rough for awhile," said Jubilee. "But it's gotten better since we made Mystique resign from her role as president. Can you believe that woman refused to let us trade with other countries? We had a shortage of food for weeks!"

"Where is Mystique now?" asked Cyclops.

"She's in New York," Iceman answered. "Rogue went to see her."

The mutants made their way into the city that was built in Utopia. It wasn't a large city like New York, but it had many neighbourhoods, and more and more were being built.

"The population doubled since Mystique left," stated Colossus. "We're at 20,000 now."

"We're hoping not too many mutants decide to immigrate here, or we will run out of room," said Psylocke.

"Hey, Hellion!" Shadowcat said. "Can we go visit everybody?"

"Sure," said Hellion as he took Shadowcat, Iceman, and Wind Dancer on a different route. Emma gave the mutants an angry look as she watched them leave.

"Let them have some fun, Emma," said Beast to Emma. "They haven't seen their friends in a very long time."

"Fine!" said Emma. "But tomorrow, we need to start some official business!"

The mutants all met up later to have a few drinks and share stories. It was a joyous night in Utopia, as memories of happy times filled the local bar.

"Baby, I haven't seen you in a long time!" said Toad as he made eyes towards Psylocke.

"I can't believe I ever joined The Brotherhood with you in it," said Psylocke as she rolled her eyes.

"You joined because you had the hots for me!" teased Toad.

"Too bad you didn't come two nights ago!" said Cannonball. "It was Aero's birthday!"

"How old are you now Aero?" asked Cyclops.

"22!" said Aero. "My big brother, Cannonball here celebrated by getting extremely drunk and punching Jamie in the face!"

"He was hitting on you!" Cannoball yelled."I wasn't going to let Multiple Man go home with you and do multiple things to you!"

"You are so disgusting!" Aero replied as she drank her beer.

"So, has Hellion talked to you yet?" asked Dust to Wind Dancer.

"I can't believe you rejected him!" said Oya.

"He asked me while we were in battle!" said Wind Dancer.

"But that's so romantic!" said Dust.

"It's very inconvenient!" Wind Dancer yelled out.

"You're still working out? Because your body still looks good," Wolverine complimented.

"I am still working out," said Storm. "I can see you're working out too."

"I've got to," said Wolverine as he placed his hand on Storm's back. "I want to look good for you when you come back."

"Baby, you always look good," said Storm as she leaned in to kiss Wolverine.

"Wanna go back to my place?" Wolverine asked with smile.

To be continued...


	12. Stories 12

**X-Men: Past, Present, Future**

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."-Martin Luther King Jr.

**Past Chapter 12: The Truth About Mutants**

"I wonder if he's nervous?" Moira said to Charles as she peeked into the living from the kitchen. In the living room was Erik and Magda, talking to Magda's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Wisner.

"Of course he's nervous," Charles said as he poured himself a cup of tea. "He's meeting Magda's parents for the first time and telling them he plans on marrying their daughter, who he's known for only a seven weeks."

"It may be crazy, but it's also very romantic," said Moira as she looked at Charles.

In the living room, Erik, who was nervous at first, was not comfortable around Magda's parents.

"Although, we don't like the idea of you rushing into marriage," Mr. Wisner said, "We are happy that you are happy."

"Thank you, Dad," Magda said as she held onto Erik's hand.

"I'm glad you understand," Erik said.

"So, when do you plan on having the wedding?" Mrs. Wisner asked.

"We haven't set a date yet," Magda said. "Erik has a very important presentation tomorrow. After the presentation, we will start planning the wedding."

"What is the presentation on, Erik?" Mr. Wisner asked.

"It's a surprise," said Erik. "But I'll hope you be there."

"We'll be delighted to," Mrs. Wisner said. "I just love surprises."

The next day, a gathering of the most important people from across the nation met on Liberty Island. Charles had his speech prepared, and Erik was ready to show off his mutant powers. Together, the two men would reveal to the whole world, the existence of mutants.

As people gathered to their seats, Moira spotted Emma walking towards her. Moira excused herself from the Wisner's and made her way to Emma.

"I didn't think you would come," Moira said as she approached Emma.

"Why wouldn't I come?" Emma replied. "I am a mutant as well, you know." The two women sat down next to the Wisner's seats. Mr. Wisner looked over at Emma and was amazed by her beauty. Mrs. Wisner comically slapped the back of Mr. Wisner's head when she spotted his eyes leering at the blonde bombshell.

"I'm so nervous," said Moira. "There's secret service people everywhere. What if it doesn't go so well?"

"I'm sure it will be fine," responded Magda. "I was able to accept it."

"Not everyone is like you, Magda," said Moira.

"Wouldn't the world be so lucky if they were like Magda?" said Emma. "We can't hide any longer."

Two hours have passed into the speech. Charles had already introduced his theory on mutation and evolution, and had shown several charts and graphs on genetics. People were listening intently on what he had to say. During the speech, Emma read some of the minds in the audience and discovered that although they found the speech to be interesting, there was still a lot of doubt on the topic.

"...it can be concluded that mutants are very real, and that the next stage of evolution has already taken place. There could be millions of mutants living in the United States right now," Charles said ending his prepared speech. "Now, I know some of you don't believe in the idea. It does sound like a work of science fiction. But I can assure you that mutation is very real." Charles motioned Erik to come on stage. "This is my good friend, Erik Lehnsherr, an American citizen and a Holocaust survivor." The audience applauded when they heard that Erik was a Holocaust survivor. Erik walked on stage, dragging a metal chair with him. He placed the chair to the left of Charles and stood to the left of the chair. "Erik here will demonstrate the next stage of evolution."

After a pause, Erik flicked his wrist and began to levitate the metal chair. The audience gasped and then began to laugh. Charles looked around confused, wondering why the audience was laughing. One audience member yelled out, "Nice magic trick! Very entertaining!" Charles looked to Erik who was not pleased with the reaction. Erik then created a fist, which caused the chair to bend and crush while it levitated into the air. The laughter stopped as the audience watched as Erik collapse the metal chair under magnetic pressure and then reform it into the different shapes.

"This is no magic trick, ladies and gentlemen," Charles explained. "Erik's mutation allows him to create magnetic fields stemming from his body, concentrated from his hands. He is able to manipulate metal."

Magda looked over to her parents, who were stunned, their faces frozen in time. "I told you it would be a very special presentation," Magda said as she smiled at her parents.

"Threat!" a secret service agent yelled out as he fired a bullet at Erik. Screams and gasps consumed the audience. Suddenly, silence fell on the island as stunned eyes witness the sight of a bullet being stopped in midair. Erik had stopped the bullet from hitting him, losing focus on the metal chair which fell to the ground. "Fire!" secret service yelled as the sound of fired guns filled the air. After ducking, audience members looked up to see several bullets floating in the air, and Erik standing on stage with his arms stretched out to the side.

"Fools," Erik said. "I have been met with intolerance since the day I was born. Born into a faith that the world struggles to accept. Now, evolving into a species that gives people fear. Already, your first thought is to kill what you're afraid of, then ask questions later. Why would you attempt to kill someone who can kill you all with a flick of his wrist?" Erik then turned all the bullets aimed at him to aim at the audience members.

"Erik, don't do it!" Charles yelled out.

"They'll never understand, Charles," Erik screamed out as he prepared to fire the bullets.

With no other choice, Charles froze Erik's mind to prevent him from killing anybody. Emma stood up and froze the audience members minds, except for Moira. Charles controlled Erik to let the bullets fall to the ground and then calmed his mind so he wouldn't be so angry.

"Do not use your power on me, ever again!" Erik yelled out. Charles, Erik, Emma, and Moira had returned to the mansion.

"I had no other choice," Charles defended. "You were going to kill innocent people!"

"Boys, stop arguing!" Emma yelled. "The world knows we exist now. We have to prepare ourselves for the worse."

**Present Chapter 12: Jean-Paul's New Roommate**

Kitty stuck her head through a door and peered outside in the hallway. She could hear talking from Professor X's office. Suddenly, her body was pulled back inside the room by Cannonball, who was holding a sketch book in his other hand.

"I told you to grab a sketchbook and start drawing," said Cannonball.

"I'm sorry," said Kitty as she took the sketchbook and sat back down on the floor with Julian, Sofia, Sooraya, Roberto, Max, Jean-Paul, and Jeanne-Marie.

"Is it true about the woman?" asked Max to Kitty.

"I haven't seen her yet," said Kitty.

In Professor X's office, the X-Men had gathered to discuss two new arrivals: Alex Summers, Scott's younger brother, and Madelyne Pryor, a woman who looked remarkably like Jean.

"I'm sorry, Professor," Jean said.

"You could have endangered yourself by using Cerebro," Professor X said.

"I know," replied Jean.

"So, how did you end up being Alex's adoptive mother?" asked Beast to Madelyne.

"My husband and I adopted Alex when he was 11 after he was moved to Chicago from an orphanage in New York," said Madelyne. "We raised him together, until my husband sadly died from cancer two years ago. I've been raising him by myself ever since. I'm so happy we found this place, because Alex has begun to develop his mutant powers."

"What can you do, Alex?" asked Beast.

"Sometimes my body gets really, really hot, and then some form of energy comes out," said Alex.

"Just like me," Cyclops said. "The energy comes out from my eyes."

"I've learnt to control it," said Alex.

"Well, you brought all your stuff right?" said Angel. "I'll show you to your room." Angel, Cyclops and Alex walked out of the office.

"I'm sorry, I just can't believe how much you look like Jean!" said Storm to Madelyne.

"I guess we look alike," Madelyne replied.

"Do you think you two can be related?" asked Colossus.

"My parents never said I had any siblings," said Jean.

"We could do a DNA test to make sure," said Beast.

"I'll be fine with it if you're fine with it," Madelyne said.

"I'll take the test," Jean said.

"It's just so unbelievable," said Storm. "You two even have the same mutations." Storm, Beast, Colossus, and Wolverine exited the office, leaving Professor X, Jean, and Madelyne alone.

"After we take the test, I think I will go back to Chicago to grab my stuff," said Madelyne. "I'll find an apartment here, so I can still be close to Alex."

"That is perfectly understandable," said Professor X.

"I better go check on the children," said Jean as she excused herself.

"Why did you use your powers to block my telepathy?" asked Professor X.

"I wanted to protect Alex from danger," answered Madelyne. "I knew he was a mutant the day I adopted him. I couldn't risk anyone harming him."

"Your telepathy is more powerful than mine," stated Professor X. "Especially since you've been blocking my power for years, even with my use of Cerebro. You are a very powerful mutant."

"Not as powerful as Jean," said Madelyne. "She was able to break through my telepathic powers and find Alex. She's more powerful than you, isn't she Professor?"

Angel led Alex to his new room, and excused himself so Alex and Cyclops can have some alone time. Alex sat on his bed silently, as he watched his older brother walk around the room, with his head down.

"I'm sorry I didn't find you earlier," said Cyclops.  
>"It's ok," said Alex. "Madelyne took really good care of me."<p>

"I missed you," said Cyclops as he hugged his little brother. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for your 16th birthday." Tears rolled down Cyclops' face as he embraced Alex.

"It's alright," said Cyclops. "It wasn't your fault."

The door opened, and Jean-Paul walked in to the see sight of the two brothers embracing in a hug. Jean-Paul's face turned red, as the two brothers released their embrace and turned to look at him.

"Hello, Jean-Paul," Cyclops greeted. "This is my little brother, Alex. He's the same age as you, and he's also a mutant. He'll be staying here with us, and he'll be your new roommate." Cyclops patted Alex on the back, made his way to Jean-Paul to mess up his hair, and walked out of the room. "Jean-Paul will show you around the school."

Cyclops closed the door, leaving the two boys in the room alone. Jean-Paul couldn't find the words to say, so he stood their silently looking at the floor.

"Don't be nervous," said Alex. "I'm a nice guy." Alex smiled at Jean-Paul, which made him blush. "You're blushing."

"Sorry," said Jean-Paul.

"Don't be sorry," said Alex. "I know I'm very attractive." Jean-Paul got Goosebumps from Alex's joke.

"If you think so," Jean-Paul joked back.

"You're gay aren't you?" asked Alex. Jean-Paul nodded. "Cool! I'm not gay, but I like gay guys. They're a lot of fun." Jean-Paul said nothing. "Ok, maybe not all of them are fun."

"I'm fun."

"You're cute too," said Alex as he made his way to Jean-Paul and hugged him. "We're going to have so much fun being roommates!" Alex squeezed Jean-Paul's left butt cheek, which made Jean-Paul jump and push Alex away. The feeling of Alex being a tease hit Jean-Paul, and made him very nervous.

**Future Chapter 12: The Blue and Red Team**

"They should be here soon," said Magma to Emma. The mutants had gathered at Utopia's main political building.

"Took them long enough to get here," said Emma.

"I can't wait to see JP," said Havok. "I haven't seen him in years!"

"Are you over your crush on him yet?" asked Shadowcat jokingly.

"Ha-ha, very funny," said Havok. "Even after 10 years, the rumours of us being a couple still won't die?"

Suddenly, three mutants entered the building. The mutants were Nightcrawler, Northstar, and Sunspot, who just arrived from San Francisco. The other mutants ran to greet their friends with hugs.

"Nightcrawler!" Shadowcat and Iceman yelled out as they hugged their teammate.

"It's nice to see you, Sunspot!" Wind Dancer said as she hugged him.

"JP!" Havok yelled out as he ran to Northstar and squeezed him tightly. "I'm so happy to see you!" Havok said after giving Northstar a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm happy to see you too," said Northstar.

"Enough!" Emma yelled out. "We have official business to cover, so come sit down at the table already!"

The mutants made their way to the table and sat down.

"First things, first," said Emma. "There are too many of us. We have to split into two teams. I propose one team will be called the X-Men Blue Team, and the other team will be called X-Men Red Team."

"I want to be in the Red Team!" said Hellion.

"I already split everybody up," said Emma. "Do not question it! In the X-Men Blue, there will be Hellion, Iceman, Northstar, Nightcrawler, Havok, Dust, Magma, Jubilee, and Aero. The team will be led by Storm."

"Alright, I'm on a team with JP!" Havok said as he hugged Northstar. Polaris and Sunspot gave Havok an angry look.

"The Red Team will have Wolverine, Shadowcat, Wind Dancer, Oya, Cannonball, Psylocke, Angel, Polaris, and Sunspot. The team will be led by Cyclops."

"What about Beast and Colossus?" asked Wolverine.

"Beast, Colossus and I will be working behind the scenes," said Emma. "Now, Colossus, you have files you wanted to show us?"

"Yes," said Colossus as he pulled out a ton of folders. "These are the files Mystique kept when she was president. I went over them and found some very particular issues that Mystique had been keeping track of."

"Any of this stuff will get in the way of the revolution?" asked Cyclops.

"A lot of it," said Colossus. "The worst thing I found were plans on a imprisonment camp for mutants in China."

"Like a concentration camp?" asked Iceman.

"Exactly," said Colossus. "I believe Mystique wanted us to stop these camps from happening before she was relieved of her duties."

"I guess we will have to finish her plans," said Emma. "Angel, do you think we can use this in favour of the revolution?"

"We can most definitely try," said Angel. "Especially, in China. It could help Chinese mutants who are more suppressed than other mutants in other countries."

"Then it's the next step," said Emma. "I'll send the Red Team to China to get rid of the camps."

To be continued...


	13. Stories 13

**X-Men: Past, Present, Future**

"Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment."- Buddha

**Past Chapter 13: The Mutant Problem**

It had been a week since Charles and Erik's infamous speech. The whole world had gone in a state of commotion as the discovery of mutants were reported in many countries following the speech. Some mutants have publicly came out, in hopes of acceptance. Instead, many of them have been met with fear and anger. This was the beginning of the mutant problem.

"I haven't spoken to Magda in a week," said Erik to Charles as they watched the sunset from the backyard.

"She'll come around," Charles assured. "They'll all come around, eventually."

"That could take a century, Charles," replied Erik. "When are you going to realize that we'll never be accepted."

"I cannot realize something like that. Especially since it goes against everything I believe in."

"More and more mutants are coming out, Charles. Eventually, the world will belong to us, as it is rightfully so."

"Peaceful coexistence is the key, my friend, to steer away from extinction of humans."

"You think we can save them from extinction? Don't you think they're already planning our extermination?"

"Give them more credit than that."

The next morning, Erik and Charles found themselves in the oval office. The President and two advisories had called Erik and Charles to Washington to discuss the mutant problem in private.

"The American public is afraid," said the President. "Do we have every right to be?"

"Of course," answered Charles. "There are probably some mutants in America who could be a threat. But not all of us are dangerous. Not all of us want to hurt you."

"Wouldn't it be safer to lock them all up?" asked one advisor.

"If you have the money to do so," said Charles. "And the ability to figure out which mutants wants to use to their powers for destructive means, and which ones who simply want to live peacefully."

"Are you going to arrest us?" asked Erik.

"No," said the President. "I want to cooperate with you. But I'm finding it difficult to please the people."

"Mutants are the people too," said Erik.

"I'll make a deal with you Charles," said the President. "I will allow you to freely speak your mind and convince the public as best as you can that mutants are no threat. But whenever powers are used or misused for other means, I will have to ask you to report it to the government."

"What do you mean?" asked Charles.

"I think you know what he means," said the other advisor who gave Charles a folder with several files inside. "We've been following the Hellfire Club's activities for quite some time. Then we discovered the body of their leader and another member in an apartment suite in New York that seemed to have a gas leak of some sort."

"It was no gas leak was it?" asked the other advisor. Erik and Charles looked at each other as the memories of them defeating the Hellfire Club replayed in their minds.

"You don't have to tell me before, but tell me after," stated the President. "We won't let the American public know about this, but if any news leaks out in the future, you will have our support."

Charles and Erik got out of the cab and walked towards the estate doors. They were flown back to New York an hour before midnight, with the President's words still fresh in their minds.

"I told you to give them more credit," Charles said as they approach the door.

"My friend, the government just plans to use us as weapons against other mutants," replied Erik.

The two men entered the mansion and heard talking in the living room. It was Moira and Magda, who fell silent when the two men entered the living room.

"Magda," said Erik as he hugged Magda. "I'm sorry I haven't spoken to you in a week."

"I understand," said Magda.

"I'm glad to see you," said Erik. Moira grabbed Charles' hand and pulled him into the kitchen.

"There's something I have to tell you," said Magda as she looked into Erik's eyes. Her eyes were filled with sorrow.

"What is it?"asked Erik.

"I can't marry you," answered Magda.

"What? Why not?"

"This mutant problem, my parents don't like it."

"Your parents? You won't marry me because of what your parents think?"

"I'm sorry, Erik. I can't. I can't marry you anymore."

"Magda don't do this," Erik yelled as tears rolled down his eyes and his grip on Magda tighten.

"I'm sorry," Magda said as she released herself from Erik's grip and made her way to the door. Magda looked back one more time to see her love on his knees and his face buried in his hands. promised herself to never look back as she left the mansion. Charles and Moira stood in the kitchen, quietly crying to what they just witnessed.

**Present Chapter 13: High School Drama**

In the school's weight room, Wolverine and Bobby were teaching some of the students how to use the gym equipment properly. Wolverine had decided to be the Physical Education teacher for the school. Bobby, who's goal was to become the teacher, decided to visit the school and work with Wolverine so he could gain experience.

"After a couple of these, you'll have triceps just like mine," said Wolverine as he instructed Max.

"I wonder if my quills will get bigger too," Max said.

"What are you talking about?" Wolverine wondered. Max blinked which transformed his skin to be covered in quills like a porcupine. "Oh, I see."

Alex looked over at Jean-Paul, who he noticed was admiring Bobby. "Quit checking out Bobby!" Alex whispered in Jean-Paul's ears.

"I'm not!" Jean-Paul whispered back.

"He has nice abs doesn't he?" Alex said as he touched Jean-Paul's stomach. "You have nice abs too."

"Quit touching me!"

Storm then entered the weight room wearing a crop top and tight short shorts. The male mutants stared as she walked in. Jean-Paul admired her figure and how fashionable her exercise attire was. The other guys had other thoughts on their minds.

"You workout?" Wolverine asked Storm as he watched her use a chest press machine.

"Of course," Storm answered. "How do you think I keep my body like this?"

At lunch, the students gathered in the dining room to eat. This was the only time the teachers did not eat with the students, which allowed them to talk freely about anything they wanted.

"How do you pronounce your name again?" asked Sofia to Idie Okonkwo.

"Idie Okonkwo," said Idie.

"What's your codename?" asked Sooraya.

"Codename?" Idie asked.

"Yeah, all of us have codenames," Kitty stated. "Mine is Shadowcat."

"I'm Dust," Sooraya said.

"People here call me Wind Dancer," said Sofia.

"Ok..." Idie thought. "Mine shall be Oya."

"That's a cute one!" remarked Kitty.

"I've been here for a week now and I still don't know what's going on in this school," Jeanne-Marie said.

"What do you mean?" Kitty asked.

"Like you know, gossip, rumours, drama," replied Jeanne-Marie. "Tell me the good stuff! Tell me what you do for fun around here."

"You should join the Junior X-Men!" Sooraya suggested. "It's a lot of fun, and we get extra training with our powers. Sofia here, refuses to join."

"I don't believe in violence," responded Sofia.

"We only have 4 members in Junior X-Men. We could use a few more," said Kitty.

"I'll join if you tell me secrets!" Jeanne-Marie said.

"What do you want to hear?" Sofia asked.

"Who's dating who?" Jeanne-Marie asked.

"Well, I use to date Max," said Kitty. "And I use to date this guy who graduated named Kurt. And you know that Bobby guy who graduated? He use to date this girl named Rogue, who sadly dropped out."

"What else?" Jeanne-Marie urged Kitty to go on.

"Uh...Amara and Jubilee look like they're becoming good friends," said Kitty.

"That's not gossip!" Jeanne-Marie laughed.

At a table of boys, Alex, Jean-Paul, Max, Julian and Roberto sat and ate their lunches while they talked secretly about the girls.

"Amara is so hot!" Max said.

"Literally too," responded Alex. "I bet if you fool around with her, she'll give you second degree burns!"

"I think Sofia is the hottest," Roberto stated. "Maybe I'll ask her to help me with some math homework."

"Dude, don't say that, Julian has a major crush on her!" Max said.

"Don't be blurting that out!" Julian yelled as he punched Max's arm.

"Sofia is nice, but I think Jeanne-Marie is the hottest girl here," said Alex. "I'll do her."

"That's my twin sister you're talking about," Jean-Paul yelled.

"That's probably why I'll do her," Alex said as he ran his fingers through Jean-Paul's hair. "It will be like doing you."

"It will be nothing like doing me!" Jean-Paul said as he smacked Alex's hand out of his hair.

"Have you done it before?" Roberto asked Alex.

"You mean sex?" Alex replied. "Of course. Three girls. Any of you done it?"

"I have," Roberto answered. "Seventeen girls."

"Seventeen?" Alex repeated with shock.

"I'm from Brazil," responded Roberto. "We like to practice the art of love." The boys laughed.

"How about you, JP?" Alex asked with a piercing stare.

"JP?" Julian wondered.

"Jean-Paul," answered Alex as he tried to feed Jean-Paul a piece of potato salad. "I think it's a cute nickname for him...but none of you can call him that! Only me!"

"I don't want your potato!" Jean-Paul said as he smacked Alex's fork out of his hand. "And I've done it with three as well...they were boys."

"Wanna make it four?" Alex asked as he put his face close to Jean-Paul's face.

"How about you two?" Roberto asked Julian and Max.

"No," Max said. "The closest I got was with Kitty and it was just me feeling her up a bit."

"Julian?" Roberto asked.

"Nope," Julian said as he looked down at his plate of food. "I never had a girlfriend before."

"We need to get both of you laid!" Alex stated. "If none of these girls here want to do it with you guys, I'm sure JP would." Jean-Paul's face turned red with anger from Alex's remark, which prompted him to punch Alex 100 times in the arm repeatedly with his super speed ability. "Ouch!" Alex screamed as he gripped his arm and began to cry from the pain. The boys laughed.

In Professor X's office, Professor X was directing Colossus on where to move some furniture around. Suddenly, Professor X felt a subtle pain in his head.

"Do you want the sofa in this corner?" Colossus asked. "Professor? Professor? Oh my God, Professor, what's wrong?"

"Someone's trying to communicate with me," Professor X stated.

"Who is it?"

"It's Madelyne...she's in trouble. Get the rest of the X-Men and fly to Chicago!"

**Future Chapter 13: Corpses in China**

The X-Jet landed in a forested area in mainland China. The Red Team exited the jet and made their way to a gated area. Polaris used her magnetic force to rip the metal fence apart, allowing the Red Team to enter the camp.

There was an ominous aura that filled the air. Dirty shacks on muddy land made up the camp. The camp seemed virtually empty, as only the sound of nearby forest birds could be heard. The Red Team examined the camp, but could not find any mutants. But there were scattered cans of cat food in random places and shoe prints in the mud, that hinted that there were occupants in the camp before.

Cyclops noticed a tall building that did not look like any of the shacks. The building was constructed of metal and had a distinctive metal chimney coming out of it. There was a disgusting smell that seeped out of the building. Cyclops used his optic blast in a low degree of power to break open the lock that held the doors to the building shut. Cyclops entered the building, and within a few seconds he screamed for the team in a horrified voice.

The rest of the team ran into the building to see the sight of more than 100 bodies lying on the ground, slowly decomposing. The team soon realized that the building was a type of gas chamber, and that the occupants of the camp were recently exterminated. The rotting bodies of the mutants made Shadowcat break out into tears, while Angel ran out of the chamber to vomit. The team slowly walked out of the chamber, to see the sight of three dozen Chinese soldiers led by a general entering the camp. The soldiers pointed their rifles at the team, preparing for a battle.

"English?" The general said in a thick Chinese accent. "You are too late. We cleaned this camp out this morning."

"You sick bastards!" Wolverine yelled out as he charged at the general with his claws. The general fired his rifle, which hit Wolverine, sending him flying back. Polaris used her powers to take all the rifles from the soldiers and general and send them flying into the forest.

"We will kill you with our hands!" The general yelled out as he and his soldiers charged at the team.

Angel and Wind Dancer flew into the air, while Cyclops began shooting his optic blast at the soldiers. Wind Dancer created a twister that swallowed eight soldiers and sent them into the forest. Psylocke created an energy blade and began to use it as a sword to attack the soldiers. Cannonball ran through a group of soldiers, knocking them down like pins. Sunspot released flamethrowers from his hands to burn some of the soldiers, while Oya used her temperature manipulation to freeze some of the soldiers. Shadowcat used her phasing ability to dodge a soldier's punches, which allowed Polaris to knock the attacking soldier out with a punch to the face. The general charged at Cyclops, which led to a brutal fist fight between the men. Angel then swooped down and picked the general up and threw him into the air. Wolverine got up from the ground, fully healed from the bullet wound. Wind Dancer summoned a wind that blew the remaining soldiers 100 feet into the air, causing them to fall to their deaths. The general fell to the ground, next to Wolverine's feet. Wolverine picked up a can of cat food with some remains in it and smeared the cat food onto the general's lips.

"How do you like the food now, bub?" Wolverine said angrily. "You feed people cat food? You treat them like animals?"

"They are not people," the general tried to say through his pain. "Mutants are nothing but animals."

"I'll show you who the animal is!" Wolverine screamed as he stabbed the general with his claws.

"No!" Cyclops yelled as he pulled Wolverine away from the general. "We need him to tell us where the other camps are!"

"You want him to live?" Wolverine yelled.

"I want answers from him," Cyclops said. "This is why I didn't want to work with you, Logan! All you do is cut and slash things. You don't think about anything! You haven't changed!"

"You haven't changed either!" Wolverine yelled drawing his claws towards Cyclops's neck.

"You didn't have the guts 10 years ago, and you don't have the guts now," Cyclops said.

"Want to try me?" Wolverine said.

"Stop it!" Wind Dancer yelled. "Stop fighting!"

"Foolish mutants," the general said as he bled to death. "You turn on each other in a war? This is why you loss and will continue to lose." After a breath, the general succumbed to his death.

To be continued...


	14. Stories 14

**X-Men: Past, Present, Future**

**Thoughts from the Author:** Before I get into the story, I would like to take some time to thank you all for reading and following. I really appreciate everybody who reads my story, and reviews it. It gives me a lot of motivation to continue. I also enjoy the diverse countries my readers are from. It makes me happy that people from around the world are reading my little story.

Secondly, I am really enjoying writing this story. I am trying very hard to connect the three timelines, but sometimes it is difficult. Sometimes the future timeline ends up spoiling the timelines of the past and present. With Northstar and Havok, I had to hold off in introducing them in the future timeline because they did not appear in the present yet, and they are important characters throughout the present and future timelines. The difficulty can be seen when I was writing about Nightcrawler's trip to San Francisco in the future timeline. I did not want to say who he was looking for, until Northstar appeared in the present timeline. But what was was fun is to put references to the present timeline in the future timeline, which gives clues to what will happen in the present timeline.

What I am finding about the three timelines is that they tend to have different themes. The past is very tamed in action, and more drama driven. However, this will change soon once the school is introduced. The present timeline is more fun and tends to be two different worlds: the world of the teachers with very adult themes, and the world of the students, which brings in aspects of high school drama. The future timeline has the most action and darker themes, and a lot of emotions within.

So once again, thank you for reading, and I hope you follow me through the end, because I do want the story to have a clear ending, but that won't happen for awhile.

**Past Chapter 14: Goodbye Erik**

1963, Charles and Erik have been campaigning for several months on peace and unity between the mutant and human community. Although, Erik had experience anger and resentment against the human population, Charles urged him to seek peace, not war. For several months, the two friends have been on good terms and have been enjoying themselves despite the hate and fear they experience on a daily basis. But one faithful day, the two men will find themselves away from each other.

Erik entered the mansion after two days of being gone. Charles and Moira were use to Erik occasionally taking the car out and not coming back for a while. They did not want to ask questions because they knew Erik was still hurt by Magda's choice to end the relationship.

Erik walked into the living room, where he was greeted by Charles and Moira, who were watching television. They were watching news coverage on the President's assassination, that happened yesterday. Charles and Moira noticed that Erik was distraught when he entered the living room.

"What's wrong?" Charles asked.

"Turn the TV off please," Erik said. Moira turned the TV off.

"My friend, what is wrong?" Charles asked again.

"I may be in trouble," Erik answered as he looked out the window.

"What do you mean?" Charles asked.

"The President's assassination...I did it," Erik answered as he poured himself scotch.

"What?" Charles and Moira yelled out.

"I was tired of it!" Erik said as he gulped down some scotch. " I took the car, drove to Washington...waited for the parade, and I guided the bullet to kill him. The President wanted to use us, while he discriminates against our kind."

"That does not give you the right to shoot him!" Charles yelled. "Do you not see the consequences? All mutants will be locked up, or even worse, killed!"

"I know!" Erik said with tears in his eyes. "I wasn't thinking clearly. I was just consumed with anger."

"We need to get you to a safe place," Charles stated.

"Where can he go?" Moira asked. "The whole country is in a high security alert. He'll be found."

"I have the money to protect him," answered Charles.

"Charles, the President is dead," Moira replied. "As long as Erik is in the country, they will find him. No matter how much money you have."

"She's right, Charles," Erik stated. "I'm in trouble."

The three of them stood in silence. Erik was regretting his decision, while Moira feared for all of their lives. Charles was frazzled by the situation, but he was determined to protect his friend.

"What if you leave the U.S?" Charles suggested.

"You want me to leave?" Erik asked.

"For your sake, you need to," Charles replied. Erik took a breath and cleared his mind. Even though he did not want to leave, Charles was right. Erik had to leave everything behind, something he was use to.

The next morning, Charles and Moira were seeing Erik off at the airport. They stood in the airplane landing zone, where Erik would board a private plane to Israel. The mood was bittersweet, because Charles and Erik did not want to leave each other on such circumstances. The two best friends could not find the words to say goodbye, so they stood in silence for a while, before embracing in a hug. Charles watched as Erik boarded the plane, leaving the life he built for himself behind.

Charles and Moira returned to the mansion, this time with Charles' parents, Mr. and Mrs. Xavier.

"We're very proud of what you are doing, son," Mrs. Xavier commented.

"But your mother and I believe it would be best if we leave the country," Mr. Xavier said. "Until things get better."

"I understand," Charles stated.

"We've signed the deed to the house in your name," Mr. Xavier stated. "The estate is yours."

"Thank you, father," Charles said.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. It was two investigators from the government. Charles knew they were looking for questions on the assassination. After talking for an hour, they gave Charles a break. Charles, Moira, and Mr. and Mrs. Xavier went into the master bedroom for some privacy.

"Charles, you know what you have to do," Moira said.

"But how ethical would it be if I did?" Charles asked.

"It's to protect yourself and your friend, Erik," Mrs. Xavier said.

"It will go against everything I believe in," Charles said.

"But you have to," Moira pleaded.

Charles went downstairs and approached the investigators. The investigators stood up, and suddenly they couldn't move. Their brains stopped working. Charles had entered their minds and prepared to give them instructions.

"You will leave this estate and return to your work. The assassination had nothing to do with a mutant. It was a human who shot the President. Mutants had nothing to do with his tragic death."

**Present Chapter 14: X-Men Vs. The Brotherhood Round 1**

The X-Men entered Madelyne's apartment, to find it vacant. Madelyne was kidnapped, and Professor X had told them that he wasn't able to communicate with her clearly. The X-Men were left with no clues to find her.

"How are we going to find her?" Wolverine asked.

"We'll have to wait it out, until the Professor can lock onto her location," Cyclops stated.

"She could be unconscious," Beast stated. "It's the only reason why the Professor can't communicate with her clearly."

"She could be dead by now," Wolverine yelled.

Jean closed her eyes and began to focus. Whether Madelyne was related to her or not, Jean knew she had to try her hardest to find Madelyne. The X-Men noticed Jean with her eyes closed, and became silent. Suddenly, Jean opened her eyes and found the X-Men staring at her intently.

"Well?" Angel asked.

"She's in an abandon warehouse East from here," Jean answered.

The X-Men entered an abandon warehouse, where they saw Madelyne strapped on a table, sedated and unconscious. Sabretooth, Toad, and Mystique were standing around her body.

"Hey!" Cyclops yelled out. "Get away from her!" The X-Men noticed that Toad was trying to insert the mind control device created by Weapon X into Madelyne's brain.

"You're trying to control her?" Storm yelled out.

"We need her for our plan," Toad stated. Suddenly, the sound of two helicopters from outside entered the warehouse. Mystique smiled and opened a door, allowing the rest of the Brotherhood except Magneto to enter. The rest of the Brotherhood consisted of Blob, the obese mutant; Spiral, the woman with 6 arms; Pyro, the fire manipulator; Polaris, the magnetic girl and Avalanche, the earthquake creator.

"We need to bring her back to Magneto," Mystique said. "And we won't let you get in our way!"

The X-Men and the Brotherhood charged at each other, each taking on a opponent. Wolverine drew out his claws and aimed for Sabretooth's face. Sabretooth grabbed Wolverine's arms and threw him across the warehouse.

Angel flew to the ceiling to catch Toad, who was crawling on the ceiling. Toad used his tongue to wrap around Angel's neck to choke him. Angel flew across the warehouse, taking Toad with him.

Pyro used his flamethrower, aiming at Storm. Storm however, created a rain cloud inside the warehouse, that followed Pyro, which subdued his fire.

Colossus and Blob were locked in a struggle, as both mutants used their superhuman strength to push each other.

Mystique had shape-shifted into Beast, which she began to jump around and mimic his ape-like behaviour. Beast tried to catch her, but he was having difficulty as she was too quick for him.

Jean used her telekinesis to throw objects at Spiral. Unfortunately, Spiral used her six arms to catch each object and throw them back at Jean.

Cannonball charged at Avalanche with full force. However, Avalanche created large cracks in the ground, which made Cannonball fall into a large hole.

Cyclops aimed his optic blasts at Polaris, who was using pieces of scrap metal to block the beams. Polaris then levitated herself to dodge the optic blasts.

Suddenly, Cyclops optic blast missed Polaris and hits Angel instead. This sent Angel and Toad falling to the ground, right through Storm's rain cloud, and landing on top of Pyro. Mystique changed herself to Storm, which made Beast accidently punch Storm. Storm summoned a lightning bolt that broke through the warehouses' window, and accidently strike between Colossus and Blob, separating them. Colossus tripped backwards, and fell onto Avalanche. Spiral throws a box at Jean, which she dodges, making the box hit Blob in the head. An angered Blob throws a punch randomly, which hits Sabretooth in the face, and makes Blob fall to the ground, crushing Wolverine underneath. Wolverine stabs Blob, making him scream in pain. Suddenly, the minds of the Brotherhood froze. The X-Men stopped their fighting and looked over at Madelyne, who was fully awake.

"The drugs wore off," Madelyne said. "Someone help me off this table." Colossus ran over to free Madelyne from her restraints.

"Get this elephant off me!" Wolverine yelled. Jean used her telekinesis to roll the 300 pound mutant off.

The X-Men then left the warehouse, and after the X-Jet flew into the air, the Brotherhood were free from Madelyne's telepathy.

**Future Chapter 14: Change**

"We're coming back to Utopia right now," Cyclops said through the reciever.

"Okay, see you then," Beast responded.

The news on the failed mission in China had returned back to Utopia, leaving the X-Men with diminished hopes. Emma, Colossus, and Beast quickly met up to find new strategies and tactics. The rest of the mutants were left to their own devices on Utopia until further notice.

"How many mutants do you think were killed?" Nightcrawler asked Iceman.

"I don't know," Iceman answered. "I don't think I want to know."

"Scary times we live in," Nightcrawler mumbled to himself.

"Want another drink?" Hellion asked as he used his telekinesis to pour himself a beer into a glass.

"I'm good," Jubilee replied as she stared outside the window of the bar.

"What's wrong?"

"It's just," Jubilee stopped herself from answering.

"It's just what?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why not? Jubilee, you can tell me anything."

"Well, I kind of feel that even though the X-Men are back together...we're just going to fail the same way we failed before."

"We didn't fail."

"Oh come on Julian! Look at where we are now! Cyclops and Wolverine are still wanting to kill each other, Cannonball still refuses to let his sister battle, and me and Magma haven't repaired our friendship, even though we both lived in Utopia these past 10 years!"

"But that's in the past."

"The past comes back to the present. We're still the same old, shitty X-Men, that couldn't stop the war from happening. And when the war finally happened, we loss. We loss because we weren't working as a proper team before and we're still not working as a proper team now!"

"It will change. We can all change."

"But it could be too late to change. We're already in the middle of a genocide."

"Have hope."

"Can you believe we're back in the X-Men, fighting together?" asked Havok to Northstar.

"Yeah, it's been so long," Northstar answered. The two mutants were sitting on a hill, looking out at the ocean, painted orange by the beautiful sun setting behind the horizon.

"Do you still think about the day when..." Havok did not have the courage to finish his sentence.

"I think about it all the time," Northstar answered knowing where Havok's question was going. "But not because I'm still depressed over what happened. Just because I want to keep her in my memories."

"That's good," Havok said as he put his arm around his best friend. "Are you happy?"

"As happy as a mutant can get in this period of time."

"Are you happy with him?"

"Yes, of course."

"Do you wish 'him' was me?" Havok looked into Northstar's eyes as he slowly moved his face closer. Suddenly, Havok's lips kissed Northstar's, but Northstar did not return the kiss.

"I said I was happy," Northstar said as he gently pushed Havok away.

"I'm not happy," Havok stated. "Polaris and I haven't been the same."

"You love Polaris, remember?"

"I feel like the love is gone."

"It's not gone."

"Well, people change. We've all changed. Even you and I."

"There's one thing that's still the same as it was 10 years ago," Northstar stated. "And I don't want to do the same thing I did to you 10 years ago."

"What's that?" Havok asked. Northstar got up and slowly walked away from Havok. It was the same scene Havok had experienced with his best friend, 10 years ago.

To be continued...


	15. Stories 15

**X-Men: Past, Present, Future**

"I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past."- Patrick Henry

**Past Chapter 15: Return of Erik**

1988, 25 years since Erik had left for Israel. For the last 25 years, Charles had spoken for mutant acceptance to America. His cause had led to some basic civil rights given to mutants, as well as a higher level of tolerance throughout the country. However, prejudice and fear against mutants still existed, and Charles' dream of a united world was still far from reach.

It was the summer of 1988 when Charles' got the knock on his door. His fiancé of 10 years, Moira, was in the kitchen, baking a cake. Charles and Moira had decided to not get marry until mutants were allowed to marry in America, but they were happy living together. Charles opened the door to be greeted by a familiar face. It was Erik, his mutant counterpart, his best friend.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming back?" asked Charles as he handed Erik his glass of scotch.

"I wanted to surprise you," Erik answered as he drank his scotch. "Of course, I could have gone back sooner if you told me that the heat on me and what I did 25 years ago disappeared...from people's minds." Charles went silent, nervous by Erik's words.

Sensing the uncomfortable feeling in the air, Moira broke the silence, "Well, I'm glad you're back."

"It's a great time to be back," Erik remarked. "Thanks to you, Charles, America is a better place for mutants...of course, we're still far from having peace."

"I have yet to reach the top of the mountain, old friend," replied Charles.

"Well, I have come back to help you reach the top, old friend," Erik responded.

"So, where are you staying?" asked Moira.

"A hotel in the city," replied Erik.

"You're welcome to stay here with us if you like," Moira stated. "It will just be like old times."

"I would love that," Erik said as he pulled a photograph from his pocket. "I still have the photo of you two, me and Emma. Do you still have yours?"

"Of course," Moira said. "I keep mine taped onto my vanity."

"I keep mine in my desk drawer," said Charles. "I'll always have it."

That night, Erik had brought his belongings from the hotel to his old bedroom in the Xavier estate. Moira had prepared a dinner, and also invited Emma to join. The four friends sat at the dinner table, catching up, and enjoying each other's company.

"Don't you get lonely in your house all by yourself?" Erik asked Emma.

"Occasionally, Sage comes to visit me," Emma said as she ate a piece of chicken.

"Sage?" Erik asked.

"Tessa, remember?" Emma said. "From Hellfire."

"You two still keep in touch?" Erik asked.

"Of course," Emma replied as she sipped some wine. "She's a brilliant mutant."

"You'll have to introduce us to her sometime," said Moira.

"Charles, you've been awfully quiet," Erik said to Charles. Charles had put down his fork and knife and was staring into space.

"Charles, what's wrong?" Moira asked with fear.

"He's sensing something," Emma said.

"Charles, what is it?" Erik asked. Charles broke his trance and quickly returned to reality.

"We have to watch the news," Charles said as he motioned everybody to leave the dinner table and into the living room.

Charles turned on the TV and flipped through the channels to find the news. An anchorwoman was on the screen, who was about to announce breaking news:

"Today is a sad day for the mutant community, as little mutant girl, Molly Hayes, was declared dead by doctors just two hours ago. Eight year old Molly, was playing on the playground during recess, when she was suddenly picked on by a group of older students. The teasing escalated to violence, and the older students proceeded to attack Molly, when they said Molly threaten to use her powers of superhuman strength on them. The students beat her severely before she could defend herself, leaving her unconscious on the ground. When teaching staff found her body, they were told not to call the police in fear that it will cause a riot in the mutant community. After an hour, the police and an ambulance were finally called. Doctors said that Molly could have survived if she were brought to the hospital sooner."

"This is insane," Charles said as he turned the TV off. "All this work I go through, and for nothing!"

"It's not for nothing," Moira said.

"The country isn't listening!" Charles screamed. "That little girl died because she was born different. How many more children need to die? Tell me!"

"Charles, calm down," Moira said. "It's not your fault."

"But I represent the mutant community in this country," Charles said as he sunk into a chair.

"We all represent the community," Erik said. "Not just you."

"The problem is that mutant children cannot be taught with human children," Emma stated. "They need to learn how to control their powers...while being educated in a safe place."

"That's it!" Charles said as he leapt from his chair to hug Emma.

"What's it?" Moira asked.

"We should open a school for mutant children!" Charles said. "We can open a school to train them, while at the same time educate them!"

"Charles, that's crazy!" Moira said.

"No, it's not!" Charles replied. "Think about it. I can actually be helping mutants this way. Not just going around the country reciting the same old speeches! I can finally help other mutants in a direct way."

"Charles, don't you think a school of mutants will be a bit too dangerous?" Moira asked. "Someone with a sick mind can come and threaten them."

"Then we won't tell the public about the school," Charles replied. "We'll keep it a secret."

"Where will you build this school?" Emma asked.

"Here," Charles stated. "We have enough bedrooms for a few students already. If we need more room for anything, we can build a basement."

"It's a crazy idea," said Emma. "But I'm in."

"I agree with Emma," Moira said. "But I will support you all the way."

"Erik?" Charles said as he looked to his old friend. "Are you with me on this?"

"You are a one insane, brilliant man," Erik stated. "Let's open this school."

**Present Chapter 15: The Junior X-Men**

The X-Men had gathered in Professor X's office to discuss earlier events. "It is unclear on what he wanted with Madelyne," Professor X said. "But you should be glad that you rescued her before he could do anything with her."

"We've already found her an apartment here," Storm said. "It will be easier to protect her from Magneto now that she's living in New York."

"I have to go do a Danger Room session with Junior X-Men," Colossus said as he excused himself from the office. "Bobby and Kurt are here to help me."

The Junior X-Men had gathered in the Danger Room, waiting for Colossus to come. They were all in their uniform, along with Bobby and Kurt.

"We got some new recruits." Bobby said as he looked at Jean-Paul. Jean-Paul blushed and gave an awkward smile.

"Yeah," Kitty said. "Too bad Sofia still refuses to join us."

"You'll be fine without her," Kurt said. "So, what are your codenames?"

"I want to be Magma," Amara said.

"And I'm going to stick with Jubilee!" Jubilee said as her and Amara danced around in a circle.

"I will be Sunspot," Roberto said.

"And I'm going to be Havok!" Alex yelled out.

"How about you two?" Bobby asked Jean-Paul and Jeanne-Marie.

"I'll be Aurora," Jeanne-Marie replied. She looked to her brother, who was struggling to come up with a name. "Jean-Paul will be Northstar!"

"Hey!" Jean-Paul yelled out. His sister looked at him with a smile, and he reluctantly agree to the name.

"There's 9 of us now," Max said. "These training sessions are going to get really crowded."

"The Danger Room is big enough," Colossus said as he entered the room. "Now let's begin."

The Danger Room session was a virtual simulation of abandon New York streets. Colossus had stated that there were 25 virtual enemies hidden around and that the simulation would end when all 25 were defeated. A digital number was illuminated in the virtual sky that kept count of the enemies. The team split into small groups to go hunt down the enemies.

"You were blushing," said Alex as he walked with Jean-Paul and Kitty down through what looked like Chinatown.

"I wasn't blushing!" Jean-Paul replied.

"What are you talking about?" Kitty asked.

"He has a crush on Bobby," Alex responded.

"Why are you telling everyone?" Jean-Paul yelled.

"Oh, were you keeping it a secret?" Alex asked with sarcasm.

"I think it's cute," Kitty said. "And even though Bobby is a bit older than you, I think you shouldn't give up on what your heart wants."

"You're just saying that because you like Colossus," Alex snickered.

"How did you find out?" Kitty asked in shock.

"Julian told me," Alex replied.

"I am going to kill that guy!" Kitty yelled out. "And, Alex, you are being a real jerk, right now! I don't know how you put up with him as your roommate!"

"I ask myself the same thing," Jean-Paul responded.

Suddenly, three virtual enemies leapt from the buildings and attacked. The virtual enemies were faceless jet black figures who were skilled in martial arts and had superhuman strength and quick reflexes. Kitty managed to dodge their attacks with her phasing ability, but Jean-Paul and Alex were caught off guard. Jean-Paul then flew into the air and illuminated his body, causing a blinding light. He then directed the light towards a virtual enemy that was going to attack Alex. However, the light did not affect the enemy. Jean-Paul then flew down and grabbed Alex, and used his super-speed to run to a safer place. Kitty got into a martial arts fight with one of the enemies and with a few blows, the enemy was defeated and disappeared. Alex and Jean-Paul looked to the sky and saw the number 25 switch to the number 24. Alex then smiled at Jean-Paul before he ran towards the other two enemies, to release a wave of energy at them, defeating them with one hit. The number in the sky then changed to 22.

Several blocks away, Sooraya returned to her normal form from her sand form. She had defeated three enemies, while Jeanne-Marie and Kurt both defeated two each. The 22 in the sky changed to 15.

"Aren't you going to get hot and sweaty with your scarf on?" Jeanne-Marie asked Sooraya.

"It's a hijab," Sooraya replied. "And no."

"Let's focus on the task at hand," Kurt said as he teleported on top of a street lamp. "We should head down this street and then make a left."

"I just find it weird that a Muslim is a part of something like this," Jeanne-Marie stated. "Doesn't Islam teach peace not violence?"

"I made a choice to use my powers to protect other mutants and Muslims," Sooraya yelled. "You have no idea how hard it was for me to make such a choice! Don't bring my religion into this!" Sooraya began to walk faster, trying to get away from Jeanne-Marie and calming herself down.

"We need to do our Physics homework after this," Amara said to Jubilee. The two girls were in a group with Max and Colossus.

"Yeah and we need to read more of 'To Kill A Mocking Bird' for Angel's class tomorrow," Jubilee said.

"Pay attention, girls," Colossus said before stopping. Suddenly, several virtual enemies appeared from the alley ways and began attacking the group.

Amara turned her body into lava and spurt out lava from her hands, defeating four enemies. Jubilee used her electric sparks that exploded three enemies. Colossus rammed into one virtual enemy before wrestling and defeating another. Quill changed his skin into spikes and tackled one enemy, which disappeared when the spikes went through its virtual body. The group looked up to see the number 5 in the sky.

Suddenly, the last 5 virtual enemies appeared out from another alleyway. The 5 tried to attack, but two of them were frozen in ice before they could. Bobby appeared from the sky, riding on a pathway of ice. Julian and Sunspot appeared from the corner. Sunspot used the artificial UV sunlight that the Danger Room offered to turn his body into fire and burn two of the virtual enemies. Julian used his telekinesis to lift the last enemy in the air and throw him across the simulated city. The number in the sky changed to zero, before the virtual New York streets disappeared. The fake city changed back into the large, metal, empty room before.

**Future Chapter 15: Uprising**

"We have to make the world aware of our cause," Emma said to Beast and Colossus. The three mutants were coming up with a way to start the mutant revolution around the world.

"Maybe we should talk to some world leaders," Beast suggested.

"Oh, please, talking leads nowhere," Emma said. "We need a more direct approach."

"Emma, we want a revolution, not another war," said Beast.

"Honey, are you being serious right now?" Emma asked. "For a revolution to be successful, there must be bloodshed. For us to win, the other side will have to lose the war."

"You know you're talking about starting World War 4 right?" Colossus said.

"Of course," replied Emma. "This time, we're going to win." Angel then walked into the meeting room.

"We're back from China," Angel said.

"Good," said Emma. "I'm going to need your PR skills."

"What do you want me to do?" Angel asked.

"I want you to use your connections with every major TV station in the world," Emma answered. "I'm going to make a video that will explain our cause to the world and start revolutions in other countries. Oh, and make sure it goes viral."

"Emma, this sounds risky!" said Colossus.

"High risk means high reward," responded Emma.

The next morning, the mutants of Utopia gathered at city hall for Emma's address to the world. There were three professional cameras aiming at a podium. Angel had directed Emma to wait for his signal before beginning.

"I wonder if this is a good idea," Wolverine said to Storm.

"We have to trust Emma," said Storm. "Even though she's a crazy bitch."

"She's lost so much in the past," Jubilee joined in. "I guess she has the right to be a little bit crazy."

Emma then walked onto the stage, and positioned herself at the podium. Angel flapped his wings, which was the signal for her to get ready. The lights on the camera blinked twice, and then glowed red. Emma began her speech:

"Mutants of the world, I am Emma Frost, leader of the newly reformed X-Men. I come from Utopia to tell you one thing: the revolution had begun. For 10 years now, we have been suppressed by the humans. Although, we lost the war a decade ago, our population around the world continues to grow. The population of the world is now 45% mutant, which makes the humans afraid...and they should be afraid. Brothers and sisters, join together and break free from the chains of oppression! Defy those who try control you! Defy those who try to hurt you! Defy those who are not like you! This will not be an easy process, and there will be blood. But it is a risk we must take for our freedom. There is light at the end of the tunnel, and it is finally time for us to leave the tunnel! The revolution will begin with us, and victory will end with us!"

An uproar of cheers filled the air of downtown Utopia. Emma's words had resonated with every mutant, lifting their spirits and hopes. The mutants were ready for another war because they were ready for freedom.

"Amazing speech, Emma," Magma said to Emma. The X-Men all met up inside city hall, waiting for world responses to Emma's speech.

"Thank you, Amara," Emma said.

"How many countries was it broadcast in?" Cyclops asked Angel.

"Every single country a part of the UN," Angel answered with a smirk. Angel then looked at his laptop and began typing in it. "There's breaking news."

"What is it?" Polaris asked.

"Some world leaders are saying they are ready for a war," Angel said.

"What else?" Sunspot asked.

"Riots in the U.S have increased in the past two hours, as well as in Canada, the UK, and France," answered Angel. "Also, there are riots popping up in countries that never had them before. Brazil, South Africa, Egypt, Malaysia and Iran."

"Looks like your speech was effective," Iceman said to Emma.

"This is just the beginning," Emma said with a smile on her face.

To be continued...


	16. Stories 16

**X-Men: Past, Present, Future**

"Hate, it has caused a lot of problems in the world, but has not solved one yet."- Maya Angelou

**Past Chapter 16: The First Students**

"This is the talented Dr. Hank McCoy," Tessa introduced to Charles, Erik, Moira and Emma. Emma had invited Tessa to the mansion after discussing to her of the plans to create a school just for mutants. Tessa decided to bring an associate of her, who she believed would be a great asset to Charles. "After I left the Hellfire Club, I met Hank at a medical science and technology convention in Washington. I was drawn to him as my mutation detected him as the only other mutant at the convention."

"You're so young to be a doctor," Charles stated.

"I was a gifted student," Hank replied.

"So was I," Charles said with a smile. "Tell me, Hank, what is your mutation?"

Hank took off his shoes to reveal large, primate-like feet. He also rolled up his sleeves to show an excessive amount of body hair. "It seems that my mutation is making my body change into a primate-like creature. Almost a gorilla of some sort."

"Wouldn't that be devolving?" Erik sarcastically asked.

"Hank has a science facility just outside of Washington where he has a ton of new technology," Tessa said. "One in particular made me think that it can be useful for you, Charles."

"What is it?" Charles asked.

"It's a jet," Hank answered. "I made it myself. It can fly at very high speeds and altitudes. It can get you from L.A to New York in under 30 minutes."

"Impressive," Emma stated. "Hank, you must move to New York and work with us. We'll pay for all the moving expenses."

"I would be honoured to help you guys," Hank said with delight.

Two months later, Hank and Tessa were now a part of the Xavier clan. Using Magneto's metal manipulation, Hank redesigned Xavier's basement to host several high-tech rooms. Hank created the Danger Room, where the mutants would train. He also created a medical facility, a meeting room that hosted many computers, a space for his jet to be parked in, and a large round room that he kept a secret from the others except for Magneto. After the round room was finished, Hank finally revealed it to the group.

"I call it Cerebro," Hank said. "Both you and Emma can use it."

"What does it do?" Charles asked.

"It amplifies your telepathic power and allows you to detect human and mutant brains from a far. I want you to use it to locate mutants to enrol in your school."

"This is a fantastic idea!" Charles cried out with glee.

"I want to thank Erik for helping me build it," Hank said.

"Anything to help other mutants," Erik said.

"So, what are you waiting for?" Emma asked. "Charles, put the helmet on and find some mutants."

"Now, it may overwhelm you at first, so stay focus," Hank said as he placed the helmet on Charles' head.

"If I start losing my hair, take the thing off me," Charles joked. Suddenly, the machine turned on and the room glowed a bright light. Charles was connected to every mind on the planet. His power was intensified and his whole body felt a tingling sensation. Charles was overwhelmed by the immense power, but it also thrilled him.

In one week, Charles had discovered many mutants, but brought a select few to his mansion. Some of them ran away from home, while others got permission from their parents to come to the mansion. It was September 3rd, 1988, when all of the new teenage mutants came to the mansion, now the school called "Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters."

**The First Students:**

Sean Cassidy (age 16)- mutation: Able to produce sonic screams that can create a physical force.

Alison Blaire (age 16)- mutation: Able to emit light of different colours and intensity.

Shiro Yoshida (age 15)- mutation: His body can transform into a fire form.

Fred Dukes (age 15)- mutation: Possesses superhuman strength and able to eat anything.

Azazel (age 17)- mutation: Can teleport. Also has red skin, pointed ears, and a tail.

Raven Darkholme (unknown age)- mutation: Has blue skin and blue scales. She can shape-shift to anybody she has seen.

"Raven told me she wasn't a teenager!" Moira said to Charles.

"It seems that her mutation has aged her slowly," Hank told Moira. "It also means she has the mind of a teenage girl."

"I remember meeting you years ago," Charles said to Raven. "The orphanage."

"Yes," Raven replied. "I stayed there until the caretaker died. Irene was also a mutant, able to see into the future. On her deathbed, she told me to accept your offer when you come to meet with me."

"So you knew I was looking for you," Charles said with a smile. "Come everybody! We must celebrate! Tomorrow, classes will start! You're all about the same age, so you will learn the same things!"

After the adults opened a bottle of champagne, the teenage mutants found themselves in the living room, chatting and getting to know each other.

"-and I want to be a singer when I grow up," Alison said. "It's always been my dream."

"Want to sing a little something for us?" Azazel asked. Alison sang a small portion of a song, which wowed her new friends. Everybody cheered, which made Alison happy.

"I'm hungry!" Fred said.

"You're packing on a few pounds there, boy!" Sean said to Fred. "Get any bigger and we're going to have to call you Blob."

"Hey, we should have codenames!" Raven suggested. "And use our powers like superheroes."

"And have superhero names?" Shiro asked.

"Exactly!" Raven said. "I want to be called Mystique. I always loved that word."

"I'll be Sunfire," Shiro said.

"How about you?" Raven asked Azazel.

"Azazel is already a fake name I given myself," Azazel said. "I don't remember my real name." The group became silent.

"I'll be Banshee!" Sean yelled out, breaking the awkward silence.

"And I'll be Dazzler," Alison said. "If I become a famous singer, I'll use it as a stage name."

The teens left the living room excitedly and entered the dining room, where the adults were.

"And Sean is Banshee," Raven said. "We even thought of names for you! Professor Xavier, you'll be Professor X. Mr. Lehnsherr, you'll be Magneto. Dr. McCoy, we'll call you Beast."

"Don't bother giving us names," Emma said. "I was called The White Queen before, and Tessa here, likes to be called Sage. Moira, how about you?"

"I think it's all nonsense," Moira said. "Why would you even need codenames?"

"On missions and stuff," Fred said.

"What missions?" Erik asked with a chuckle.

"Well, you said you were going to train us, right?" Azazel stated. "Aren't we going to use that training to help people, like superheroes do?"

"We're not superheroes," Erik said. "We're mutants."

"You're going to train to control your mutations and to defend yourself from threats," Charles stated. "But you will not be using them to save the world."

"Yeah, but if we did, wouldn't we be like great?" Alison asked. "It will help show people out there that mutants shouldn't be feared. That we're actually a good addition to society."

"I think it's time for you all to go to bed," Charles said. "You have a big day tomorrow."

"Hear us out," said Sean.

"Enough," Charles laughed. "Go to bed."

**Present Chapter 16: Jubilee's Sweet 16**

"Happy Birthday!" Amara, Kitty, Sofia, Sooraya, and Jeanne-Marie screamed. The birthday greeting for Jubilee woke her up and made her jump out of bed. It was Jubilee's 16th birthday, and luckily it was a Saturday. The girls helped Jubilee get dressed and then blindfolded her as they led her down to the main level of the school. They took off the blindfold, where Jubilee found herself in the dining room, presented with a cake and all the students and staff yelling "Happy Birthday!" to her.

"Oh my God!" Jubilee yelled out. "Thank you, everybody!"

Later, everyone got a slice of cake to eat as they socialized in the dining room and kitchen.

"I can't believe you just turned 16 today," Sofia said to Jubilee. "You're the youngest who's graduating next year!"

"You're not graduating with me?" Idie asked Jubilee.

"Nope," Jubilee responded. "Sorry!"

"That would mean..." Idie's face changed to a face of shock and horror as she realized the truth. "I'll be the only girl graduating! I'm graduating with a bunch of boys!"

"Hey!" Armando yelled after he overheard what Idie said. "I'm one of those boys!"

"Sorry, Armando," Idie apologized.

"It's Darwin, baby," Armando corrected. Idie blushed and turned away.

"I think he likes you," Amara whispered in Idie's ear. The girls all laughed.

"For a sweet, 16th, this is kind of lame," Jeanne-Marie said to her brother as she ate a piece of cake.

"It still has to be friendly for the younger kids and the school," Jean-Paul said.

"This school is strange," Jeanne-Marie said. "And some of the kids too. Especially, Sooraya."

"I've been meaning to talk to you about that," said Jean-Paul. "You should be a bit more considerate of Sooraya's feelings."

"I wasn't trying to offend her," Jeanne-Marie said angrily. "I was just asking questions."

"You shouldn't question people's faith," Jean-Paul stated as he got up from his seat to take his empty plate to the kitchen.

Down in the basement corridors, in the medical lab, Professor X, Jean, Cyclops, and Madelyne were all waiting for the DNA results from Beast.

"There's a 5% match," Beast said. "Which means you are not related. The 5% match comes from both of your Scottish heritages. If you were related, it would have been centuries ago."

"How can we look so much alike and have the same mutant powers, but not be related?" Jean asked.

"It's just one of those one in a billion chances," Beast replied. "Life's little mysteries."

"Well, there we have it," Madelyne said with a smile. "I still don't really see how I look like you, other than our red hair and green eyes."

"Maybe you'll see it eventually," Cyclops said. "I'm going to check on the kids."

After the cake was done, all the students sat in the living room watching television. A lot of the younger students were getting bored and restless.

"Let's do something fun!" Jeanne-Marie cried out.

"Like what?" Julian asked.

"We should go shopping!" Jeanne-Marie suggested.

"I don't have any money!" Kitty responded.

"Let's play a game," said Carl, one of the elementary level students suggested.

"What game?" Roberto asked.

"We should let Jubilee decide, since it's her birthday," Sofia said.

"Yeah, Jubilee, come up with something!" said Amara.

"Ok," said Jubilee. "How about...capture the flag?"

Jean entered the teacher's lounge, where she found Storm sitting on the couch, reviewing some papers.

"Hey, what did the test say?" Storm asked Jean.

"We're not related," Jean said as she cuddled next to Storm on the couch.

"Happy?" Storm asked.

"It doesn't matter," Jean answered. "What are you doing?"

"Just making a list of all the students," Storm said. "I thought I should do it since Jubilee is 16 now. Also, it's almost time for the first round of exams." Jean looked at the list and was impressed by how many students were enrolled.

**List of Students to date:**

Soon to graduate students:

Alex Summers aka. Havok (age 16). Mutation: produces powerful energy blast from body.

Amara Aquilla aka. Magma (age 16). Mutation: able to generate and control lava.

Jeanne-Marie aka. Aurora (age 16). Mutation: flight, super speed, light emission.

Jean-Paul aka. Northstar (age 16). Mutation: flight, super speed, light emission.

Jubilation Lee aka. Jubilee (age 16). Mutation: electrical sparks generates from hands.

Julian Keller aka. Hellion(age 16). Mutation: Telekinesis

Kitty Pryde aka. Shadowcat (age 16). Mutation: phases cells to walk through solid objects.

Max Jordan aka. Quill (age 16). Mutation: able to contract/retract spikes from his body.

Roberto Da Costa aka. Sunspot (age 16): Absorbs solar energy to change body into fire.

Sofia Mantega-Barrett aka. Wind Dancer(age 16). Mutation: able to control wind currents.

Sooraya Qadir aka. Dust (age 16) Mutation: Can change body into a sandstorm.

Students in High School Level, not yet graduating:

Armando Munoz aka. Darwin (age 15) Mutation: Body can adapt to any environment.

Idie Okonkwo aka. Oya (age 15) Mutation: Able to control temperature.

Jamie Madrox aka. Multiple Man (age 15). Mutation: Able to make copies of himself.

Students in Junior High Level:

Alisa Tager aka. Cipher (age 13) Mutation: Invisibility and flight.

Chris Colchiss aka. Melter (age 13) Mutation: Able to melt solid objects.

Melody Guthrie aka. Aero aka. Cannonball's little sister (age 12) Mutation: Flight.

Theresa Cassidy aka. Siryn (age 12) Mutation: High-pitch and high-volume screams.

Thomas Jones aka. Alchemy (age 13) Mutation: Touch can control chemical composition.

Victor Borkowski aka. Anole (age 12) Mutation: High flexibility, and can re-grow loss limbs.

Students under Jean's care (elementary level students):

Billy Soul aka. Lil' Bro (age 7) Mutation: Telepath

Carl Aalston aka. Rain Boy (age 10) Mutation: Liquid body

Doreen Green aka. Squirrel Girl (age 8) Mutation: Squirrel-like appearance and behaviour.

Ernst (age 7) Mutation: Superhuman strength.

Jordan Lewis aka. Gloom (age 8) Mutation: Able to make others temporarily blind.

Klara Prast (age 9) Mutation: Able to manipulate flora.

Longshot (age 10) Mutation: Psychometry (able to know the history of an object with a touch).

Megan Gwynn aka. Pixie (age 9) Mutation: Insect-like wings and produces a sleep inducing dust.

Nicholas Gleason aka. Wolf Cub (age 8) Mutation: Wolf-like appearance and behaviour.

Roxanne Washington aka. Bling (age 10) Mutation: Diamond skin.

**Total # of students: 30**

"I can't believe how many students there are now," Jean stated. "A lot has changed."

"Not a lot has changed," said Storm. "I'm still single."

"You'll find someone," said Jean.

"You found two men."

"Two? I only have Scott."

"Logan."

"Logan? Who says he likes me?"

"It's so easy to tell! He has the biggest thing for you."

"Well, you can have him."

"Oh, gee, thanks."

"I always share everything with my best friend." The two women laughed.

"What are they doing?" Cyclops asked Cannonball and Wolverine as they walked outside.

"Capture the flag," Cannonball answered. "Your brother is one of the leaders."

"Alex is going to make a great leader," Cyclops stated. "Just like me."

"We'll see," said Wolverine.

Outside in the school's field, the students had decided to play capture the flag. All the students split into five teams, with the leaders being Alex, Jubilee, Kitty, Roberto and Max.

**Alex's team:** Jean-Paul, Armando, Sofia, Melody and Doreen.

**Jubilee's team:** Amara, Jamie, Megan, Longshot and Carl.

**Kitty's team:** Julian, Billy, Sooraya, Nicholas and Theresa.

**Roberto's team:** Ernst, Roxanne, Idie, Victor and Thomas.

**Max's team:** Klara, Chris, Alisa, Jeanne-Marie and Jordan

"The rules are simple," Colossus began. "Each team gets their own safe zone. Each safe zone will have the team's flag. The object of the game is to steal the flags of the other teams, while trying to protect your own flag. If your flag gets taken, then your whole team is out of the game. Last team standing wins. Also, once you leave your safe zone and enter the zone of another team, people from that team can tag you. If they tag you, you will become their prisoner and won't be able to leave until someone on your team rescues you by tagging you. When you free someone, you get a free walk back to your zone. Any space in the middle of all the zones are safe for all teams. Got it?"

"We got it!" said Max.

"Oh, and no powers," said Colossus.

"What?" Alex protested. "Come on! Powers will make the game more interesting."

"No powers," said Colossus. "It will keep the game fair. You don't want one of the twins to use their super-speed and capture all the flags in under a minute, do you?"

"I guess not," Alex sighed.

"Angel will be in the air watching over the game to make sure everyone is playing nicely," Colossus said as he pointed to the sky. Angel was flying overhead and smiling down on the students. "Everybody, get to your zones!" The students all ran to their respective team zones. "Ready? 1...2...3...go!"

**Future Chapter 16: Slaves**

The X-Men were gathered in the city hall meeting room, discussing their next course of action. Tension has been high between certain members, on top of the hatred for mutants among global leaders, causing much stress for Emma.

"The U.S, Canada, Australia, Italy and Egypt are taxing their exports on us," said Angel. "China, Taiwan, and Mexico have cut off all trade ties with us."

"This will be a devastating blow to the economy," stated Beast.

"The island can't support everybody," said Angel.

"Are you saying we need more land?" Emma asked.

"Well, no, but...well...maybe," said Angel. "I don't want to start a war over land."

"Why not?" snickered Emma. "We already have another war on our hands." Colossus entered the room with a stack of files.

"I found more of Mystique's files," stated Colossus. "There's one file in particular that really disturbed me."

"What is it?" asked Cyclops.

"A rebel leader in Nigeria by the name of, Abassi Oni, is buying and kidnapping mutant children from families and selling them to places such as Germany, Switzerland, and the U.S. to be slaves for wealthy people."

"That's awful!" Wind Dancer cried out.

"My thoughts exactly," Colossus said. "We have to stop this."

"Abassi Oni?" Oya asked.

"Yes," said Colossus.

"He's the man that sold me to William Stryker for the Weapon X program when I was younger," Oya stated.

"Well, since the Red team went to China last time, let's have the Blue team go this time," suggested Emma.

"Wait!" Oya said. "Let me go too. Nigeria is my home country. I want revenge on Abassi."

"Fine! Aero, you stay here," Emma commanded.

"Oh come on!" Aero yelled out.

"Aero, it's better that you're here with me and not going to some foreign land," Cannonball said.

"You're so overprotective!" Aero yelled.

"Are you sure you and Jubilee can handle the mission together?" Dust whispered to Magma.

"I'm sure we'll be fine," Magma answered back.

The X-Jet landed in Nigeria, near a small village. The villagers gathered around the jet, wondering what the commotion was about. The Blue team walked out of the jet and looked around. The villagers stared at them as they made their way through the crowd. A Nigerian man that had an aura of authority around him stood with two other men that carried firearms.

"Abassi Oni?" Storm asked the man.

"That is me," the man answered in a thick Nigerian accent. "And who do I owe the pleasure to?"

"My name is Storm and this is the X-Men," said Storm. "We're here to stop you from making mutant children slaves."

"You have come to stop me?" Abassi said. "How will you stop me when I have weapons and all you have are leather clothes? Don't you think it will be too hot here to try to stop me?" Abassi looked at Jubilee who had sweat all over her face due to the heat.

"I can take care of that," Storm said. Storm flew into the air and summoned a giant raincloud to drizzle over the village. "Find the mutants!" Storm commanded. The Red team split up as the villagers ran around in panic. Abassi yelled out a few words in Nigerian that prompted a few men in the village to draw out their firearms.

Nightcrawler teleported in random places, dodging bullets, while kicking the attacking men's firearms away. Iceman froze a few of the men, but was punched by another before he could freeze them all. Havok, Jubilee, and Magma released their powers onto of a few of the men. Dust turned into her sandstorm form to prevent some of the men from escaping. Storm summoned lightning bolts to stop some of the men from retreating back into their homes. Abassi tried to run away, but Hellion used his telekinesis to stop him and send him flying across the sky and landing near Oya's feet. Oya looked at him directly in the eyes with hatred and anger.

Northstar used his super speed to run into the houses, in search of the mutants. On his seventh attempt, he found a small hut with no windows that had eight children chained together inside. He knew these kids were the captured mutants that the X-Men needed to rescue.

"Idie?" Abassi said as he stood up. "My first sale."

"You, monster! You took me away from my home! You took me away from my mother!" Oya screamed.

"Don't forget," Abassi said slyly. "I also took your virginity."

"Against my will!" Oya screamed as she activated her powers. Half of the village became blazing hot while the other half of the village became extremely cold. Iceman had to quickly run to the cold side in fear of melting.

"Oya, no!" Storm said as she flew down and blew a gust of wind. The wind stopped Oya, and made Abassi fall over. Northstar ran out of the hut with the eight mutant children.

"I have the children here," Northstar stated.

"Good," Storm said. "Get them on the jet. Havok and Jubilee, round up all the men in Abassi's rebellion and take them on the jet. We're going to take them back to Utopia where Emma will deal with them."

"Ok," Jubilee said as she released sparks at the feet of the men. "Get on the jet you bastards!"

Oya walked over to Abassi and reached her hand out to the man. Abassi grabbed her hand and allowed himself to be pulled up by Oya. Oya looked at him with anger, and her hand began to release a cold temperature. Abassi's hand began to freeze and he screamed in agony as he tried to free himself from Oya's grip. Storm ran over to Oya, and demanded her to release Abassi. Oya let go and went inside the jet. Storm grabbed Abassi's and forced him onto to the jet. The villagers walked outside of their houses and watched the X-Jet fly into the air, leaving Nigeria.

To be continued...


	17. Stories 17

**X-Men: Past, Present, Future**

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."- Plato

**Past Chapter 17: The Bluer the Better**

The students were sitting in class, listening to Moira lecture about basic grammar skills. The students were taking notes with excitement, because it was their first class of the day. After an hour of nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs and propositions, the students' excitement faded away. They became bored and restless.

"Sean," Moira raised her voice. "Please don't fall asleep and please don't drool on your textbook."

"Sorry," Sean replied. "It's just really early for grammar lessons."

"It's 11:45," Moira said. "This class was suppose to start at 8, but some of you had trouble waking up." The class looked at Fred with angry faces.

"Can we have a break please?" Alison asked Moira.

"Fine," Moira said. "15 minutes. I'm going to make myself a cup of coffee."

The students went outside in the courtyard to get fresh air. Sean and Shiro were chasing each other like little boys, while Alison was busy singing to herself. Raven noticed Dr. Hank McCoy sitting under a tree, so she approached him and sat next to him.

"Hello, Dr. McCoy," Raven greeted.

"Hi, Raven," Hank greeted back. "Call me Hank. You're much older than me, remember?"

"So, what are you doing out here, Hank?" Raven asked.

"Just taking in the cool autumn air," Hank said. "It's my favourite season."

"Mine too." Hank and Raven both smiled.

"How's class?"

"Boring."

"Well, I'll try to make my science class for you guys less boring."

"Are you going to teach us how to make cool inventions?"

"What do you want to invent?"

"A cure."

"A cure?" Hank asked. "What do you mean?"

"For being mutants," Raven answered.

"A cure...I wish there was one. Then I won't look like a freak. You got it lucky. At least you were born beautiful." Raven smiled as she transformed into her true form. Hank realized that Raven was in disguised. "I'm sorry, I forgot."

"It's alright," Raven said. "Sometimes I've been in disguised so long, I forget what I really look like."

"Raven, I'm going to make a cure," Hank said. "And we'll both be normal, for once."

"Socrates," Charles lectured in the students' afternoon Philosophy class. "When it came to punishing a criminal, he would not be a fan of killing."

"Did he believe in locking people up instead?" Fred asked.

"Sometimes," Charles said. "But overall, he believed that education was the key. He believed that people should be brought of our their ignorance in order for them to realize their wrong-doing."

Raven, who was resting her head on her hand, was struggling to not fall asleep and keep focus on the lecture. After a short struggle, Raven gave in, and her head ended up hitting the desk. The impact made her transform back to her blue form, which shocked the class. An embarrassed Raven quickly transformed back to her human disguise.

"Raven, are you ok?" Charles asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," Raven said. "It's just hard for me to concentrate when I'm trying to stay in disguise."

"Why are you still in disguise?" Shiro asked.

"Yeah," Alison agreed. "We all know you're a mutant. It's ok if you're blue."

"Really?" asked Raven.

"The class is right, Raven," Charles said. "You're in a safe place now. I'd rather have you concentrate on the lecture." Raven nodded and transformed back to her true blue form. The class resumed with the lecture.

That night, Raven was in the medical room in the basement, getting her blood drawn from a needle handled by Hank. After the blood sample was taken, Raven, got off from the medical table and watched as Hank placed the vile of blood into a special refrigerator.

"So, when will you start on the cure?" asked Raven.

"Probably, tomorrow night," Hank said. "So, why have you been blue lately?"

"Oh, the other students told me it was fine," Raven answered. "They said it's ok to be my true self around them."

"Oh...well, once I find a cure, you won't have to be yourself anymore," said Hank. "You'll be able to go out in public." Raven forced a smile on her face as she walked out of the medical room.

Outside, Raven saw Erik standing at the other side of the hallway, waiting for the elevator to open. Raven stood next to him in awkward silence. Raven couldn't stop thinking about what Hank said. It made her feel ashamed of her blue skin and blue scales. When the door to the elevator opened, Raven transformed to her human disguise before she entered the elevator with Erik.

"Why did you change?" Erik asked.

"Isn't it better this way?" Raven asked while fighting back with tears. Erik wiped her tears and looked into Raven's eyes.

"No, it's not," Erik said. "The bluer, the better." Raven transformed back to her blue form, and began to lean in for a kiss with Erik. Suddenly, the elevator doors opened and Erik pulled away.

Erik and Raven joined the others in the living room, who were all watching the news on TV.

"What's going on tonight?" Erik asked.

"There's been an explosion," Charles answered.

"Where?" Erik asked.

Charles looked at Raven with a face of remorse. "It was at the orphanage you grew up in." Raven's jaw dropped as tears built up in her eyes.

"Are you sure?" Raven asked.

"It was just on the news," Shiro said.

"I'm so sorry, Raven," said Charles. Suddenly, Emma walked into the living room.

"I think you all know about the explosion," Emma said.

"We just heard about it on the news," Moira said.

"Well, honey the news doesn't know everything," stated Emma.

"What's going on, Emma?" Tessa asked.

"The explosion was caused by a mutant," answered Emma. "I felt his brain signal in my head right when the explosion happened."

**Present Chapter 17: Capture the Flag**

"We're playing capture the flag in the middle of winter," Jeanne-Marie said. "Only us mutants, I guess."

"It's not that cold outside and the snow is just slush," Max said. "Now, concentrate. I want to win."

"What's the plan, Max?" Alisa asked.

"Klara, Jordan, and I will be going out there and try to capture Alex's team's flag first," Max answered. "You and Jeanne-Marie stay here, and protect the flag. If we're prisoners, one of you go out and rescue us."

"Hey!" Klara yelled out looking at the flag. The team looked up and saw Jubilee grabbing their flag and running off.

"Get her!" Max yelled. The team chased after Jubilee, but it was too late. Jubilee ran back to her team's safe zone, jumping up and down and cheering.

Angel flying above yelled out, "Max's team is out!"

On the safe zone field, Sofia and Melody were trying to enter Roberto's team's safe zone. However, Idie and Victor weren't allowing that to happen. Unbeknownst to Victor and Idie, Sofia and Melody were just distractions for Armando to enter the zone. Armando managed to grab the flag but before he could run out of the zone, Idie tagged him, making him a prisoner.

"Idie, baby," Armando winked. "Couldn't wait to tag me, could ya?"

"You're my prisoner now," Idie said. "So, please, shut up."

In Alex's safe zone, Doreen was trying to protect the flag by herself. Alex ran back to his zone, sweaty and fatigued.

"Couldn't get a flag?" Doreen asked.

"I was so close to stealing Kitty's flag but I had to get out of their zone before Theresa tagged me," Alex said taking in a deep breath. "Where's Jean-Paul?"

"I think he got tagged by Amara in Jubilee's team."

"What?" Alex yelled before running out of the safe zone. "I have to go rescue him!"

In Jubilee's zone, Jean-Paul was standing by a tree, as Amara and Megan kept guard.

"You know Alex is coming for you, right?" Amara said to Jean-Paul. "He has to save his boyfriend."

"I'm not his boyfriend, and he is not my boyfriend!" Jean-Paul yelled.

"Once he comes, we'll catch him!" Megan said excitedly. "Then your team will fall apart without a leader and we'll take your flag and win the game!"

"You guys are pure evil," Jean-Paul said.

"We have to win for Jubilee's birthday!" Amara responded.

In the sky, Angel yelled out, "Roberto's team is out!"

In Kitty's team's safe zone, Sooraya and Nicholas ran into the zone to be greeted by Kitty and Billy. The team was clapping and cheering, as they celebrated their flag captured.

"We got Roberto's flag!" Nicholas cheered.

"Let's get the other team's flag!" Kitty said. "Let's target Jubilee's team next."

"Where's Julian?" Sooraya asked.

"Sofia managed to tag him when he was trying to steal Alex's team flag." Kitty replied. "I think he only wanted to go there to be close to Sofia." Everyone laughed.

Back in Jubilee's zone, Jean-Paul saw Alex approaching from behind. Jean-Paul then used his acting skills to gasp and stare off into the distance. Amara and Megan saw his facial expression and quickly turned their attention to the area he was staring at. Suddenly, Alex appeared out from behind a bush and tagged Jean-Paul, freeing him. Amara and Megan pouted as they let the boys have a free walk out of the zone.

"Thanks," Jean-Paul said.

"No problem," Alex said. "You saved me in the Danger Room session, I save you in capture the flag. Besides, I need your sweet ass nearby me at all times." Alex winked and grinned at Jean-Paul.

"It's things like that, that make people think we're dating," Jean-Paul said.

"Let them think that," Alex replied.

Up in the air, Angel yelled out, "Kitty's team is out! Alex's team and Jubilee's team are the only teams left in the game. If Jubilee's team steals Alex's team's flag, then they win. If Alex's team wants to win, they're going to have to steal Jubilee's team's flag as well as the other flags she stole."

"Okay, team, let's take their flag and make this my birthday win!" Jubilee said with joy.

"We're going to win, I can feel it!" Jamie said.

"Let's go!" Amara yelled out as she led, Longshot, Jubilee and Jamie, leaving Megan and Carl to protect the flag.

Alex, Jean-Paul, and Melody ran out of their safe zone and into the free-for-all zone. They were confronted by Jubilee, Amara, and Longshot. Jean-Paul and Melody tried to block Amara and Longshot from running away. Alex, who was very focus on stealing the other team's flag, was about to enter Jubilee's team's safe zone when he heard Doreen yell out, "Jubilee's got our flag!"

Alex turned around and tried to run towards Jubilee before she could go back to her safe zone. Amara and Longshot blocked Jean-Paul and Melody from helping, so it was up to Alex to get the flag back. Suddenly, Alex released a blast of energy from his body, which hit a large area of land, nearly missing Jubilee. The students stopped in shocked to what they just witnessed. Colossus and Cyclops ran out to the field, as Angel flew down.

"Are you okay?" Angel asked Jubilee.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Jubilee said as she tried to shake off her shock.

"Alex, what the hell was that?" Cyclops yelled at his brother.

"It was an accident," Alex answered while trying to catch his breath.

"I said no powers," Colossus reminded.

"I didn't mean to do it," Alex said. "It just came out."

"You said you could control your powers!" Cyclops yelled out.

"I can," Alex screamed back.

"You could have killed Jubilee!" Cyclops said. "What kind of leader are you? Don't you ever think?"

"That is uncalled for!" Alex yelled back. In frustration, Alex ran back into the mansion. Cyclops tried to follow, but Wolverine stopped him. Jean-Paul used his super speed to follow Alex into their bedroom.

"Leave me alone," Alex said to Jean-Paul as he fell on his bed. "There's nothing you can say to fix this."

"I can't fix it," Jean-Paul said. "But I just wanted to let you know that I'm here for you. No matter what."

Alex looked into Jean-Paul's eyes, as tears filled his own. Alex embraced Jean-Paul in a hug as tears rolled down his eyes. Alex felt Jean-Paul was closer to him than his brother would ever be.

**Future Chapter 17: The Truly Ignorant**

In Utopia's prison, Abassi and his men were locked up in holding cells. Multiple Man was watching over the prisoners, who were angry and restless.

"Keep it down you bastards," Multiple Man yelled out.

"When we get out, we will kill you with our hands!" one of the prisoners yelled out.

"Yeah, right," Multiple Man laughed off.

"There's 15 of us and only 1 of you!" another prisoner yelled out.

"Oh, really?" Multiple Man said as he made several copies of himself. Suddenly, the door opened and the copies fused back into Multiple Man. Oya entered the prison and greeted Multiple Man.

"Hello, Jamie," Oya said.

"Hello, Oya. What are you doing here?" Multiple Man asked.

"I came to visit Abassi," Oya said as she looked into the cell and found Abassi's face.

Abassi approached the cell bars and looked into Oya's angry face. Abassi began to giggle, which turned into a full-blown laugh. The other men began laughing hysterically as well.

"What do you want from me, Idie?" Abassi asked. "An apology? Would that bring you peace?"

"No," Oya replied. "Killing you would bring me peace."

"Then why don't you?" Abassi asked with a sinister smile. "Is it because you're not allowed to?"

"Who say's I'm not allowed?"

"I'm still alive, aren't I?"

"I was taught by a great man not to kill others."

"Then what should you do?"

"Educate you and bring you out of your ignorance."

"That is your plan? Is it also your plan to save all the mutants in the world? By educating the people who hate you? Is that what you want to do? Foolish girl. You can't save your own kind. You couldn't even save yourself from me when I came into your village that fateful night. My men loved passing around your mother. And I loved taking your virginity. You and your mutant friends can't do anything. You are the one living in ignorance." Oya turned around and began to walk out of the prison.

Wind Dancer and Hellion stood on top of a hill, looking out at the sea. They haven't spoken a word to each other, which made the situation very awkward.

"About what I-" Hellion started.

"Look!" Wind Dancer interrupted.

"What is it?"

"A bunch of ships are coming."

"What's wrong?" Emma asked Colossus who was looking scared.

"The computer is picking up unknown approaching planes and ships," Colossus said.

Emma thought to herself as she realized what was happening. "The war begins..."

To be continued...


	18. Stories 18

**X-Men: Past, Present, Future**

"Discrimination is a disease"- Roger Staubach

**Past Chapter 18: Classification**

Charles, Erik, Hank, Emma, Tessa and Raven got out of the car and walked up to the police tape. The tape surrounded the destroyed area where the orphanage once stood. Policemen and firemen were scattered around, as news cameras recorded footage of what was left from the explosion.

"The boy isn't here, but I can still feel his mind," Emma stated.

"Authorities must have taken him away," said Hank.

"We have to find him," Charles said. "Let's go back to the mansion and use Cerebro."

Raven silently stood far away, looking at the rubble. Tears fell from her eyes as she remembered her life at the orphanage. Erik approached her and placed his hand on her shoulder. His touch comforted her and made her realize she was falling in love with the older man.

They returned to the mansion and gathered in the basement. Raven rejoined her fellow students in the school's weight room. The adults found themselves in Cerebro, watching Charles use the machine to locate the missing mutant.

"I can't seem to get a signal on him," Charles said as he removed the helmet off his head. "Are you sure he's not dead?"

"I'm positive," Emma stated. "I do have a theory on why you can't locate him."

"What's that?" asked Charles.

"You're not powerful enough," Emma answered. "I'm more powerful than you."

"That's ridiculous," Charles defended. "We're equal. We both have the same powers."

"That doesn't make you equal to me," said Emma. "Tessa and I have been coming up with system to determine how powerful a mutant is. Almost like a classification system."

"Charles, you're a class 3 mutant," Tessa said. "I'm also a class 3. Hank is a class 2, while Erik and Emma are both class 4. The highest level is a class 5."

"How do you determine strength?" Hank asked.

"We determine it through level of threat," answered Tessa. "Class 1 is no threat. Class 2 is threat to others or themselves. Class 3 is threat to a high number of people. Class 4 is threat to the country. And Class 5 is threat to whole world."

"How are Emma and Erik a threat to the country?" asked Moira.

"We believe if Erik harness his power enough, he'll be able to destroy cities across the country," Emma stated. "After all, cities are made out of metal."

"And what about you?" Erik asked Emma.

"I am able to faintly detect the minds of others from miles away," Emma said. "Charles seems to be limited in only the New York area."

"So, what do you suppose we do?" Charles asked with a bit of jealousy in his voice.

"I'll use Cerebro to find the mutant," Emma said.

"I thought you could find the mutant without Cerebro, since you're already much more powerful than me?" Charles rebutted.

"I can sense them but they appear as a blur," said Emma. "Cerebro will help me focus and amplify my power." Emma took the Cerebro helmet and placed it on her head. The others watched as the machine turned on and searched the country. Suddenly, an image of a young mutant boy on a medical table with medical professionals surrounding him appeared in the room. "That's the boy...he's been moved to Washington...in the Pentagon."

"You're leaving for Washington?" Sean asked with surprise.

"We have to retrieve the boy from the government," Erik said as he put on his jacket.

"Let us help you," Shiro said.

"Help us?" Erik asked. "How are a bunch of teenagers going to help us?" Suddenly, Azazel teleported from different spots in the basement hallway.

"You're going to want us there," said Azazel.

"It's too dangerous," Charles said.

"Charles, wait," Erik said. "We could use their gifts."

"Are you crazy?" Charles yelled. "I started this school to protect young mutants. Not to use them to fight."

"But we want to fight!" Alison stated.

"Yeah, let us help you," Fred said. After contemplating, Charles finally gave in. Erik and Charles led the group of teenagers along with Hank into the X-Jet. Moira, Emma and Tessa were left behind.

"Do you think they're ready for this?" Moira asked. "It's a dangerous mission."

"Honey, the life of a mutant is always dangerous," Emma said with a wink. "No matter what class you're in."

**Present Chapter 18: Affairs of the Brotherhood**

"What are we going to do now?" Mystique asked Magneto. The Brotherhood had retreated back to their secret hideout located in a forest outside of the Manhattan area.

"Don't worry," Magneto said. "Madelyne isn't the only telepath out there. There's still one more we can turn to."

Mystique began preparing the helicopters for the Brotherhood. In a small room with a dining table, Polaris was sitting with Avalanche and Spiral.

"How did our lives come to this?" Avalanche asked.

"Would you rather be back with that bastard, Stryker?" Spiral asked.

"You're right," Avalanche said. "Soon we'll have all the power in the world."

"He still hasn't brought me to her," Polaris said.

"Who?" Spiral asked.

"My mother," Polaris answered as she stormed out of the room.

Polaris entered Magneto's chambers and approached the mutant leader. Magneto had a stern look on his face as he looked at Polaris' angry face.

"It's been weeks now, and you still haven't brought me to my mother," Polaris said with anger.

"Isn't enough that you have your father in your life?" Magneto asked looking into his daughter's angry eyes.

"Who is my mom?" Polaris asked.

"Enough," Magneto said. "We have to continue with our plans." Magneto pushed Polaris out of the way and exited his chambers.

The Brotherhood gathered at the helicopter docking station, waiting for Magneto to arrive. Blob got onto his own helicopter due to his weight. Spiral was the pilot of another helicopter that hosted Toad, Pyro, and Avalanche. Mystique was the pilot of the third helicopter that hosted Sabretooth. Mystique was waiting for Magneto and Polaris before they can fly off.

"I don't want to do this anymore," Polaris said as she followed Magneto into the docking station.

"Don't be foolish," Magneto said as he entered the helicopter. The other mutants watched as Polaris stood outside, refusing to go into the helicopter. Magneto looked over to Mystique and shook his head. "Go."

The helicopters tried to lift off the air, but something was pulling them down. Polaris was using her magnetic powers to prevent the three helicopters from flying off. An unpleased Magneto shook his head once again before signalling the pilots to stop trying. Magneto exited the plane and walked up to Polaris.

"Bring me to my mother," Polaris demanded.

The sun shined as Magneto and Polaris made footprints in the snow. The two mutants were in a cemetery, approaching a tombstone. Polaris began to weep, while Magneto placed his hand on her shoulder.

"She was a beautiful woman," Magneto said. "I wish you could have met her. But when she found out you were mutant after giving birth to you, she gave you away. She became less beautiful afterwards. Now, let's continue with the plans."

The sound of helicopters filled the air at the Frost mansion. Emma Frost looked out her window, as she watched the Brotherhood get out of their helicopters and approached her door. Five identical blonde girls stood in the living room worried.

"What are you doing here?" Emma asked Magneto.

"I need your help," Magneto said. Magneto looked at the five identical girls, who were rejecting advances from Toad and Blob. "I see you have taken on your own students."

"Charles asked me to," Emma said. "The Stepford Cuckoos are powerful telepaths, who need a powerful telepath to guide them."

"I see," Magneto said.

"What do you want my help with?" Emma asked.

"I need your help locating a mutant," Magneto stated. "Is it true that you built your own Cerebro?"

"It doesn't work properly," Emma said. "I wanted to build one so the Cuckoos can have some training with the machine. But Hank refused to build me one."

"You're forgetting one thing, Emma," Magneto said. "I helped Hank build the machine. I will be able to fix your Cerebro, if you use it for me."

The Brotherhood and Emma with the Cuckoos went down the mansion's basement and into Emma's version of Cerebro. Magneto moved some metal plates around, reorganizing the internal system of the machine.

"The mutant we're looking for was a part of the Weapon X program," Mystique said to Emma.

"Charles told me about what happened with Weapon X," Emma said.

"I retrieved files from them and realized there was another mutant in their possession," Mystique said. "However, the mutant wasn't in Northern Alberta. We believed she either escaped or is in another location run by Weapon X."

"What is her name?" Emma asked.

"Betsey Braddock, or Psylocke," Mystique answered.

"What do you want with her?" Emma asked Magneto. The Stepford Cuckoos tried to read Magneto's mind but were unable to. "Don't bother girls," Emma stated. "The helmet on his head prevents his mind from being entered. Magneto, what do you want with her?"

"It's all a part of the plan," Magneto said with an evil smile.

**Future Chapter 18: Attack on Utopia**

"They're firing!" Beast yelled out. Torpedo from the ships that surrounded the island were shot into the air and falling towards Utopia.

Suddenly, a few telekinetic mutants living on the island stopped the torpedoes from hitting the island and threw them into the ocean. Airplanes flew over the island and dropped bombs onto the island's city. The bombs were stopped by the telekinetic mutants, except for one bomb that managed to hit an area of the city. Storm summoned a hurricane that destroyed a few ships and sent a few airplanes falling into the ocean.

"Who are they?" Angel asked Emma. Emma concentrated her telepathy.

"The Russians, Japanese, and French," Emma stated. "A few ships just landed. They're invading the island." Emma turned to Cyclops with a fierce look on her face. "Protect the island."

The Red and Blue team along with Beast and Colossus ran to the beach where they found three ships on the shore. Soldiers from the ships ran out onto the beach, carrying guns and grenades. The soldiers let out a united scream as they ran towards the X-Men.

"Attack!" Cyclops yelled as he used his optic blast to attack a group of the soldiers. Oya turned half of the beach into scorching hot land, while the other half was made of snow and ice. Sunspot ran into the a group of soldiers and released fire from his body, burning the soldiers to death. Psylocke released a large amount of psychic energy that ripped through the beach like a large blade. Storm flew into the air and summoned thunderbolts to attack several soldiers. Wolverine, Colossus, Beast, and Cannonball engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the soldiers, while Iceman turned some soldiers into ice. Hellion used his telekinesis to throw some soldiers into the air, while stopping some bullets. Shadowcat phased through some soldiers, before beating them with punches. Nightcrawler teleported to several soldiers, kicking them in the face before teleporting away. Dust transformed into her sandstorm form, pushing several soldiers away. Wind Dancer summoned tornadoes that trapped most of the soldiers. Polaris took some guns and used the guns on the soldiers, killing many. Aero and Angel flew into the air and began picking up soldiers and throwing them into the ocean.

Magma was grabbed by her hair by a soldier and was kicked by another. Jubilee ran to her side and zapped the two soldiers.

"Thank you," Magma said to Jubilee.

"No, problem!" Jubilee said with a smile.

Northstar ran into a group of soldiers and released a powerful light that blinded them. Then he knocked the soldiers out with a few punches. Suddenly, a nearby soldier threw a grenade at Northstar. Before the grenade landed, Havok quickly pushed Northstar out of the way, managing to nearly escape the grenade's explosion. Havok then blasted energy at the soldier who threw the grenade.

"Havok, behind you!" Northstar screamed as a soldier tried firing at Havok from behind. Havok turned around and blasted energy at the soldier, killing him.

Aero flew around ,dodging several bullets. She spotted her brother fighting with a two soldiers. Aero swooped down and punched one soldier in the face, while Cannonball punched the other.

"Be careful, Melody!" Cannonball yelled out.

"Don't worry about me!" Aero said as she flew back into the air. Suddenly, a bullet hit Aero in the chest and she fell to the ground. Cannonball screamed in anguish as he ran to his sister's body. Wolverine stabbed the soldier who shot Aero, while Polaris lifted a ship from the shore and threw it on the beach, killing the remaining soldiers.

Cannonball embraced his sister's body, as tears fell from his face onto her face. The X-Men gathered around Cannonball, as they watched the mighty Cannonball crying over his sister. Cyclops and Storm tried to comfort Cannonball as they realized Aero was dead.

Inside the city hall, Emma was with many mutants who sought refuge from the attack. Emma sensed something was wrong, so she telepathically entered the mind of Magma. Emma saw the sight of Cannonball embracing his sister's dead body, realizing that they have loss a member of the team.

To be continued...


	19. Stories 19

**X-Men: Past, Present, Future**

"The struggle of my life created empathy - I could relate to pain, being abandoned, having people not love me"- Oprah Winfrey

**Past Chapter 19: Jono Starsmore**

A puff of red smoke appeared in the corridor of the pentagon. The red smoke appeared in the corner of the same corridor, where it surrounded a security camera. The smoke broke the security camera before disappearing and reappearing at a door. The puff of red smoke was Azazel, who was instructed to destroy security cameras before letting the rest of the mutants in.

"Good work, Azazel," Charles said as he made his way down to the corridor.

"Do you have a stronger signal of the mutant?" Hank asked.

"Yes," Charles said. "But I sense he's not conscious."

"Where are we heading?" Alison asked.

"The mutant is being held in the south side of the building," Charles said as he led the team down another corridor. "Azazel!"

"Got it!" Azazel said as he teleported to the middle of the corridor, broke the security camera and teleported back to the group.

Suddenly, the alarm went off in the building. Flashing lights and an siren cried through the building. They knew that the CIA was aware they were in the Pentagon. The group entered another corridor where they were faced with four men in black suits and guns pointed at them.

"Freeze!" one man shouted. Fred cracked his neck from side to side before running down the corridor and knocking three of the men down like bowling pins. The standing man was about to shoot Fred, but the gun was taken out of his hand by Erik. Fred then turned around and punched the man in the face. Suddenly, eight other men in suits came in pointing their guns at the group. Erik removed their guns from their hands before they could shoot. Raven then engaged into hand-to-hand combat with two of the men. Sean used his super scream to scream in the ear of one man, which knocked him out cold. Azazel grabbed one man, teleported with him onto the ceiling, and dropped him onto another man. Hank climbed the walls, dragging one man with him, before smashing his head through the wall. Shiro released a ball of fire from his hand, which burnt one man. Alison emitted a bright intense light that blinded the last man. The group quickly ran out of the corridor, leaving the beaten men to wallow in pain.

"Where did you learn to do martial arts?" Erik asked Raven as they ran together.

"I use to take lessons downtown," Raven answered with a wink.

The group entered a room that had a small room inside. Through a window, they could see the other room inside which had a bed. On the bed was the mutant boy they were searching for. Standing next to the bed was the President, a military official, and another man in a black suit. Azazel quickly teleported the group into the small room.

"Hello, Mr. President," Charles said. The man in the black suit pointed his gun at Charles. The President ordered the man to lower the weapon.

"Hello, Xavier," the President greeted. The President then turned to the man in the suit. "Please, go tell security to turn off that damn alarm!"

"Yes, sir," the man said as he exited the room.

"Xavier, this is Colonel William Stryker," the President said as he introduced the military official.

"So, I finally get to meet the great, Xavier," the Colonel said.

"I see you brought others with you," the President stated.

"These are my students," replied Charles.

"Students?" asked the President.

"Yes," said Charles. "I've taken the liberty to teach young mutants to harness their power while giving them a standard education."

"You also taught them to infiltrate the CIA," said William.

"We're here for the boy," said Charles.

"You mean, Jono?" William responded. "Remarkable mutant. Able to produce intense heat within his body. However, he wasn't able to control it and eventually released it through the pores of his skin on his chest and neck. It caused an explosion at the orphanage he was living in and destroyed everything."

"He needs our help," Charles stated. "Give him to us."

"I do recall a certain deal a preceding president made with you to report any mutant affairs you get yourself involved with," the President said. "You haven't reported to us about these students you're taking in."

"Mutant affairs only involving other citizens in a greater scale," Charles said. "Me taking in a few teens to help them is not that major. Besides, the deal goes the same way with you."

"We were merely trying to subdue the boy and study him before taking the proper actions to protect him and others around him," the President said. "If we knew about your school, after all the medical tests were performed, we could simply give him to you to take care of."

Charles then read the mind of the President and found out he was being truthful. Charles then read William Stryker's mind and found another story instead.

"You wanted to experiment on him?" Charles said to William. "Making him into some sort of weapon?"

"Is this true, William?" the President asked.

"I would have told you at lunch yesterday but then the explosion at the orphanage happened."

"This is a sick man!" Erik yelled out.

"You have to give Jono to us!" Sean said.

"We'll protect him!" Shiro added.

"William, you truly have made me weary of the people I trust," the President said. "This country is already divided over the mutant debate and I don't need someone like you driving that wedge even further. Xavier, you can take the boy."

The group left the Pentagon with the unconscious Jono Starsmore and boarded the jet. Raven and Alison watched over the boy as the jet lifted off and flew back to the mansion.

"We've been exposed," Erik said to Charles.

"Don't worry," said Charles. "I've erased their memory. They know nothing about the school or Jono."

"Isn't that what you did 25 years ago to save me?" Erik asked. "Tell me, why didn't you do that before. So, I wouldn't have to leave for Israel?"

"It was a tough decision to make, my friend," said Charles.

"Was it because you were afraid of what I've become?" Erik asked grimly with a smile.

At the White House, the President and William Stryker sat in a private lounge area smoking cigars.

"I have a plan that I want you to approve of," said William as he exhaled the cigar smoke.

"What is it, William?" the President asked.

"I want to make a trip to Japan..."

**Present Chapter 19: Betsy Braddock**

"I will make sure that we normal folks are protected from the mutants who want to harm us. And let me tell you, there are a lot of them. These mutants are very dangerous, and I will not stop until we are 100% safe from all of them!" Senator Kelly ended his speech with a huge applause from the crowd. Colossus quickly turned off the TV and turned to Jean.

"He announced his candidacy for President yesterday and he already has a lot of support," said Colossus.

"The only thing we can do is vote," said Jean. "First, we have to vote on Prop X. Then we'll worry about the Presidential election afterwards." Professor X entered the living room in a panic.

"Emma just called me," said Professor X. "Magneto used her to locate a mutant in San Francisco. The Brotherhood are already on their way there to capture the mutant. Round up the team and go!"

Upstairs, Cyclops made his way slowly to Alex's bedroom door. Cyclops and Alex haven't spoken for a day since their fight, and Cyclops worried he was losing his little brother again. He raised his hand to knock on the door, but was stopped by the sound of Jean walking up the stairs.

"Scott, we have a mission," Jean told him. Scott sighed and then walked down the stairs. Jean could sense her fiancé was emotionally strained.

"Cannonball isn't coming this time?" Storm asked as she prepared the jet for takeoff.

"He said he wants to spend some time with his little sister," answered Angel.

"He's so protective of Melody," stated Storm.

"Can't blame him," said Cyclops. "Big brothers have the right to be a little bit protective."

"I don' think I'll be much help taking on this Magneto guy," said Wolverine.

"You'll be fine," replied Beast. "Just don't do anything insane." The jet flew into the air and headed for San Francisco.

After 30 minutes, the jet landed on the rooftop of an apartment building. The rooftop already had three helicopters parked on the roof. Blob got out of one of the helicopters and laughed as the X-Men came out of the jet.

"You're too late," Blob said. "We already convinced the girl to come with us."

"What do you want with her?" Cyclops yelled.

"You'll see," Blob laughed.

Suddenly, the Brotherhood came through a door and entered onto the rooftop. They were with Betsy Braddock, a young woman of Asian descent who was raised in Britain.

"X-Men," Magneto said. "How nice of you to join us. Such a shame we can't stay to chit chat."

"Who are these people?" Betsy asked.

"Ignorant fools," answered Magneto.

"You're not going anywhere, bub!" Wolverine yelled as he lunged at Magneto. Magneto raised his hand and levitated Wolverine in the air.

"No," said Magneto. "You're not going anywhere." Magneto threw Wolverine over the building. Jean quickly used her telepathy to catch Wolverine before he fell to his death, and safely put his feet back on the rooftop.

The Brotherhood started to board their helicopters. Beast ran up to one of the helicopters to grab Betsy, but was punched in the face by Sabretooth. Beast and Sabretooth then got into a fight. After a few punches, Colossus ran over and grabbed Sabretooth and threw him into the air. Angel then flew up in the air and kicked Sabretooth in midair, sending him falling onto to a ventilation shaft.

Polaris sat in one of the helicopters, watching the scene. She was still angry with her father, Magneto, and did not want to be with him anymore. She never felt appreciated and felt that this was her chance to do something heroic. Polaris ran out of the helicopter and used her magnetism to pull a metal fence that surrounded a part of the roof and tied it around Sabretooth.

"What are you doing, Polaris?" Magneto yelled out.

"Rebelling against my father!" Polaris screamed out as she lifted one of the helicopters off the air and intended to send it crashing off the building. Magneto counter attacked and used his magnetism to repel Polaris'. Polaris fell over, but was quickly caught by Storm.

"Hurry up, Sabretooth!" Magneto yelled out. Sabretooth broke free from the metal restraint and ran back onto the helicopters. The three helicopters lifted off into the sky and flew away.

"Are you ok?" Storm asked Polaris.

"Yes," said Polaris. "Can I please come with you guys?" The X-Men looked into the eyes of the young girl and knew she wanted help.

"Of course," said Cyclops who reached his hand out. "We welcome any mutants." Polaris and the X-Men boarded the X-Jet and flew back to New York.

**Future Story 19: Aero's Funeral**

The mutants of Utopia gathered at the cemetery. The sun was still rising, as the mutants all dressed in black settled to their seats. Aero's body was placed in a closed wooden casket. Beast placed white roses on the casket before sitting down next to Cannonball, who was having trouble keeping his composure. Colossus made his way to the podium and began his speech.

"Friends, family, citizens of Utopia...we are gathered here this morning to mourn the death of Melody Guthrie, who we also called Aero. She was an intelligent, beautiful, young woman. It is a terrible crime and injustice that she was taken so quickly away from us. Melody was the student any teacher was lucky to have. She was cheerful and a joy to be with, but was also serious about living life as a mutant to her fullest potential. Even at the age of 12, Melody was active in mutant rights. Other teachers and I have stated a few years ago that Melody would grow up to become a part of the X-Men, and hopefully a teacher. Unfortunately, the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters was not able to survive World War III, thus our hopes for Melody vanished. But something amazing happened. Melody never gave up hope. When many of us turned our backs on the dream we devoted so much time and effort into, Melody was there to help us realize to not forget and to not give up on the dream. She was the definition of an X-Men. Someone who was passionate for fighting for mutant rights. She now leaves this world behind, to join the spirit of other fallen mutants in the stars. Let us all take two minutes of silence to remember Melody for everything that she was."

Everybody closed their eyes and sat in silence for two minutes. The sound of the ocean waves could be heard, as the sun's warmth kissed everybody's skin. The morning breeze was settling down, and the hot temperature of the island was rising. After the funeral for Aero, her casket was buried and everybody returned to their homes. It was an emotional day for everybody. Emma had cancelled all meeting plans to give everyone a day of rest.

"How many are there?" Nightcrawler asked Iceman as they looked at all the graves in the cemetery.

"I heard it was around 500," Iceman answered. "Most of them from the Battle for Utopia."

"So many fallen," said Nightcrawler. "So many too young."

"Could have been us, you know?" said Iceman.

"Don't say that!" yelled Nightcrawler. "We're already in another war, so I don't want to think about death!"

"In a war, all you have to think about is death."

"And victory!"

Jubilee and Magma sat down at a table at the bar and both took their time drinking some of their beer. It was an awkward moment between the two ex-friends, but they were determined to repair their friendship.

"Thanks for saving my ass again," Magma said.

"You already thanked me!" Jubilee laughed. "And I already said it wasn't a problem."

"Sorry," said Magma. "I was just surprised."

"Of what?" Jubilee asked. "Amara, we might not be as close as friends as we use to be, but we're still on the same team and we still have some friendship between us. I will do anything to protect you."

"Thank you Jubilee," said Magma with a smile. "Let's try to hang out some more and get close again-like we used to be."

Wolverine knocked on the door of Cannonball's hotel room for the second time - still no answer. "Sam, let's go to the bar! I know you're in there!" Storm walked down the hallway and approached Wolverine and pulled him away from the door.

"Leave him alone," Storm said. "We have to give him some time."

"Do you want to go to the bar with me?" Wolverine asked with a grin.

"Not today, Logan," Storm said.

"Are you sick of staying in these hotel rooms, too?"

"A little bit."

"How about you and I get a house here on this island? Live the rest of our lives together."

"Sorry, Logan, but I'm just not ready for a relationship."

"You weren't ready for a relationship 10 years ago, and you're still not ready for one?"

"I'm sorry, Logan, but I've never been ready."

"Well, then I guess I can't change that. Have fun being alone for the next 40 years of your life." Wolverine walked down the stairs, leaving Storm by herself.

Northstar sat with his head placed on Sunspot's shoulder. The two mutants were watching the tide creep closer to their toes as they sat on the beach, taking in the warm sun.

"Your shoulder is getting hot," Northstar joked. "Must be the sun."

"Or maybe it's because you're so hot," Sunspot joked. Suddenly, the sight of the X-Jet flew across the sky, leaving the island.

"Where is it going?" Northstar asked.

"I saw Angel and Hank preparing it for a flight," answered Sunspot. "I'm not sure where they're going though."

To be continued...


	20. Stories 20

**X-Men: Past, Present, Future**

"The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars/ But in ourselves, that we are underlings."- Cassius, Julius Caesar (I, ii, 140 - 141)

**Past Chapter 20: The First Danger Room Session**

"Did you get the answer for number five?" Alison asked Jono.

"Yeah, it's 72.85," answered Jono. Jono and Alison were in the library doing their math homework together. It had been a week since the group rescued Jono.

"How are you holding up being here?" Alison asked.

"It's still strange," answered Jono. "But I'm starting to like it." Suddenly, Shiro entered the library.

"Hey, we have to go down to the basement," Shiro told Alison and Jono.

"Why?" asked Alison.

"I don't know," said Shiro. "Hank says he has a surprise for us."

The students all gathered in the lower levels joining Charles, Erik and Hank.

"Do you like them?" Hank asked as he held up two leather outfits. One leather outfit was for women, and the other was for men. They were dark blue with yellow accents and had X symbols on the arms and over the heart.

"You want us to wear them?" Fred asked. "You better have made a size big enough for me!"

"I did," said Hank. "They'll help protect you in battle."

"In battle?" asked Raven. "Who are we battling?"

"Well, Raven, we were so impressed with all of you when it came to saving Jono," said Charles. "We decided that perhaps we'll let you play superhero."

"Really?" asked Sean. "I thought you said it was too dangerous for us."

"It is," answered Charles. "But after thinking about it over and over, I realized we should be using our powers to help protect others. We just have to train first."

"And that's when I made the decision to create these uniforms and the Danger Room."

"What's the Danger Room?" Azazel asked.

The group made their way to a newly built room in the basement. The room was large and empty, with metal all around. In the centre of the room was a metal box with a screen on it.

"This is the Danger Room," said Hank. "It simulates virtual situations to help us train."

"This place is awesome," commented Sean.

"I suggest we all change into our new uniforms," said Hank. "Let's test this baby out."

After everybody changed into their new costumes, they all gathered inside the Danger Room. Hank approached the metal box with the screen, and flipped open a cover on it, revealing a keyboard. The metal box was the mainframe of the Danger Room's central computer. Hank punched in a few keys and the door shut. He then punched in a few more keys and the room began to shake. Suddenly, the metal room became covered in snow. There was a blizzard raging in the room, while piles of deep snow covered the floor of the room.

"How is this possible?" Fred asked.

"It's all fake snow," said Hank.

"Why does it feel cold?" asked Azazel.

"The temperature in the room dropped so it will be more real," said Hank.

"So, what's the purpose of this?" Erik asked. "Are we going to have a snowball fight?"

"There are ten virtual enemies hidden somewhere," answered Hank. "We must defeat them all in six minutes. The time starts now."

The group walked a bit in the snow, unable to see off into the distance due to the thick blizzard. Suddenly, a hand came out from the snow and grabbed Alison's foot. Alison screamed and struggled to free herself. The hand belonged to a virtual enemy, a solid black figure. The enemy pulled itself from the snow and began to throw punches at Alison. Shiro released a fireball that hit the enemy, which made it vanished. A computerized voice then called out, "1 enemy defeated. 9 enemies left. 5 minutes and 12 seconds remaining."

Suddenly, two enemies appeared from out of the blizzard. Erik got into a fist fight with one enemy, while Fred slammed his body into another enemy. After a struggle, Fred jumped onto the enemy and it vanished. Four more enemies appeared from the snow. Azazel teleported into the air, kicked two enemies in the face, and then teleported to a safe distance. Raven karate chopped one enemy and quickly did a back flip to land onto another enemy. Charles ran over to Erik and helped him defeat the enemy he got into a fight with. Suddenly, the voice called out, "7 enemies defeated in total, 3 enemies left. 2 minutes and 40 seconds remaining."

"Can we defeat the last three in time?" Shiro asked.

"I'm sure we can," said Charles. A black hand then grabbed Sean from behind, trapping him into a head lock. Sean screamed, which caused the group to cover their ears in pain.

"Stop screaming!" yelled Erik. Hank then rushed over to Sean, and grabbed the enemy off Sean. Hank then threw the enemy into the air. Shiro then released a fireball that hit the enemy, making it vanish.

"I'm sorry," said Sean. "I freaked out."

"Don't worry about it," said Charles.

"2 enemies left, 1 minute and 33 seconds remaining," the voice stated.

The group looked over and saw two enemies running towards them. Alison reached her hand out and released sparks of light directed towards the enemies. The light blinded the enemies but they did not vanish. Shiro released another fireball, which missed. "30 seconds remaining," the voice cried out. The enemies crept closer, resisting Alison's light flashes. Jono then pushed Alison aside and released a beam of explosive energy directed towards the enemy. The enemies vanished and the simulation ended. "Simulation over. Enemies defeated in 5 minutes and 40 seconds."

"We did it!" Alison cheered as she hugged Jono. Alison then released her hug when she felt that Jono's chest was still hot from the attack he released.

"That was awesome!" Sean said as he patted Jono on the back. "Your power is amazing."

"Thanks," replied Jono with a smile.

"Good work everybody," said Charles. "And let's thank Dr. McCoy for building this amazing machine for us."

"Thank you!" the group said.

"It was my pleasure," said Hank.

"I think we should come up with a team name!" Raven said.

"Like what?" asked Azazel.

"How about 'Mutants in Leather'?" joked Fred.

"How about 'Sean and the Mutants'?" Sean suggested.

"Yeah, right!" Shiro laughed.

"How about the X-Men?" Raven suggested.

"Men?" Alison asked. "Why not X-People?"

"Because that sounds lame!" Raven said.

"I like that," said Charles. "The X-Men. That will be our name."

Later that evening, Erik and Emma were sitting in the living room talking next to the fireplace.

"I don't think I can do it," said Emma.

"Why not? You said you were stronger than Charles," stated Erik.

"Yes, but the task is simple. Why don't you just ask Charles to do it for you?"

"I know he won't do it."

"Erik, just let her go. It's been 25 years."

"I can't. I have to see her. And you need to find her for me. Please."

**Present Chapter 20: Valentine's Day**

It was Valentine's Day, and Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters were enjoying the relaxing winter day. The snow fell, covering the campus in a deep blanket of white fluff. Every room with a fireplace was lit, and love songs played throughout the school. In the elementary students classroom, Jean her students were cutting out paper hearts.

"Ms. Grey," Nicholas said.

"Yes, Nick?" Jean asked.

"When are we giving out our cards?" Nicholas asked.

"After lunch," answered Jean.

"Wolfcub wants to give a special card to Squirrel Girl!" Carl teased.

"No!" Nicholas yelled out. Nicholas looked over at Doreen to see her blushing and looking the other way.

"Hey, let's get back to our hearts," said Jean. Suddenly, Cyclops walked in with roses and a stereo that played a sappy love song. Jean stood up from her desk and smiled. The two embraced in a hug and then a kissed. The young kids covered their eyes and yelled out "eww".

"Happy Valentine's Day," Cyclops said. "I'm sorry I haven't been the best fiancé."

"It's okay," replied Jean. "We both been very busy."

"I think this weekend we should go meet with a wedding planner," said Cyclops. "We can't hold off from having the wedding just because we're busy."

In Jean-Paul and Alex's bedroom, the two boys were doing homework. Jean-Paul's head was looking down at his textbook, unaware that Alex got off from his chair. Then a red card fell from above and hit Jean-Paul's nose. Jean-Paul opened the card and read, "Happy Valentine's Day roommate. I love you more than you know! From: Alex."

"Thanks, Alex," said Jean-Paul.

"I also got you chocolate," Alex said as he handed Jean-Paul a box of chocolate.

"Wow, this makes me feel bad for not getting you anything."

"You didn't get me anything?"

"I'm kidding!" Jean-Paul pulled out a card and small wrapped present. The card read: Happy Valentine's Day Alex. If you were gay, I would date you. From JP." Alex burst into laughter and hugged Jean-Paul. Alex then opened his present, which was a tiny crystal red dragon.

"My sis and I went to Chinatown yesterday and when I saw it, I thought of you," Jean-Paul explained. "You're like a dragon. You get angry and you're pretty scary when you're mad. But you're also noble and brave. And overall, you're a very special person. You're a rare breed to come by."

"Wow," Alex said. "Now, I feel bad for just getting you chocolate."

"It's okay," Jean-Paul said with a sweet smile.

"I can give you a kiss!" Alex said. Alex then leaned over to Jean-Paul, who pushed his face away.

"Stop it!"

"Come on, just one kiss."

"No thank you."

"Did you hear Bobby is coming for dinner tonight?"

"Yes..."

"Do you have a Valentine's card for him?"

"Yes, I do actually."

"Really?"

"Yup."

"What if..."

"He's not gay? I've been there before. I'll get over it."

"You're a strong person. I like that." Alex leaned in for another kiss, and Jean-Paul once again pushed his face away.

In the living room, Amara and Jubilee sat on the couch, while drinking hot chocolate. Then Idie and Sooraya walked in with hot chocolate and joined them.

"Single again on Valentine's Day," Amara stated. "I'm getting tired of this shit."

"I don't understand what's the big deal with Valentine's Day," Idie said as she sipped her hot chocolate.

"Well, you're closer to having someone to spend time with today than any of us," Jubilee responded.

"What do you mean?" Idie asked.

"Hello, Armando!" Amara cried out. "He's so into you!"

"Stop saying that!" Idie said as she rolled her eyes. Then Sofia walked into the living room.

"Hey!" Sofia said. "Mmm, hot chocolate. That looks good."

"Why don't you grab a cup and come join us?" Sooraya asked.

"I can't," Sofia said. "I'm going with Kitty and Jeanne-Marie to the mall. I better get going." Sofia then walked out of the living room, leaving an uneasy feeling with the girls.

"Those three have been hanging out a lot," said Jubilee. "Without us."

"Have you ever seen that movie 'Mean Girls?'" asked Amara.

"Yeah, why?" asked Sooraya.

"Those three are just like 'The Plastics'. They're very nice to us, but they make fun of us behind our backs."

"No way!" Sooraya said. "I share a room with those three. They're not mean at all."

"Yesterday, I was in the kitchen and I heard them talking in the dining room about you," Amara stated. "They were saying you're asexual and probably never hit puberty because you don't have any feelings for guys. They also called you a lesbian."

"That's insane!" Sooraya yelled in anger. "How could they say that about me?"

"It's cause they're mean girls," said Amara. "Mutants or not, we're still in a high school."

At dinner, the students and teachers ate at the dining table while love music played.

"Tonight's the night!" Alex whispered to the guys. "You two are going to lose your virginity!"

"We are?" Julian asked.

"Yeah!" Alex said. "The girls here want to be with someone on Valentine's Day. Just take them in a room, ask them to be your Valentine, eat some chocolate and talk for a few minutes, and then start making out with them! Roberto are you in?"

"Sorry, Alex," said Roberto. "None of these girls spark my interest. Besides, I'm kind of sick with girls right now. I want something new and exciting." Roberto winked at Jean-Paul, who gave a weird look back.

"Okay, I say Julian you go for Sofia and Max you go for Amara or Jubilee!" Alex whispered.

"I don't think I can," Julian said.

"Come on, don't be a chicken."

Over at the other side of table, Wolverine looked over at Jean who was laughing and holding hands with Cyclops as they ate their dinner. Wolverine felt a jealous anger build up, so he finished up his dinner and made his way his bedroom.

At the other end of the table, Jeanne-Marie, Kitty, and Sofia were eating their dinner and talking to each other, ignoring the other girls.

"You should kiss him tonight and see what he does," Jeanne-Marie suggested to Kitty.

"He's a teacher!" Sofia yelled out. "She can't just make a move on him!"

"Actually, I think I am going to do it!" Kitty said. "I can't hold my feelings in anymore!"

"Well, I think you're crazy for even thinking about it," Sofia said as she ate her chicken.

"Don't be such a weirdo like Sooraya!" Jeanne-Marie mocked. The girls laughed, not realizing Sooraya overheard the mean comment.

After dinner, everybody went on doing their own activities. Bobby and Kurt, who came for dinner, decided to talk with some of the students in the library. Jean-Paul joined them, but did not saying anything. He was too busy trying to think of what to say to Bobby and figure out the right time to give him the card.

"-and then my professor sat on his desk and it flipped over!" Bobby told the other students. Everybody in the room laughed.

"We better get going," Kurt said. "I have a lot of homework to do, and Bobby has a hot date with a girl from his class." Those words crushed Jean-Paul's heart and made him feel heavy inside.

Jean-Paul quickly ran out of the library, holding in his tears. Roberto followed him and grabbed his hand.

"Hey," Roberto said. "Don't cry."

"I'm not crying," Jean-Paul said as he ripped the card up. "I'm such an idiot."

"No, you're not," Roberto said.

"I just want to go to bed now," Jean-Paul said as he walked up the stairs.

"I'll walk you there," Roberto said as he followed Jean-Paul.

In the kitchen, Kitty was helping Colossus wash the dishes. Colossus was singing along with the music that was playing, which made Kitty fall harder for her teacher. Kitty wiped her hands and then tapped Colossus on the shoulder. Colossus turned around to be greeted with Kitty's lips on his lips. Colossus pushed Kitty back and shook his head. Kitty's face turned red and she quickly ran out of the kitchen.

In Polaris' bedroom, Polaris and Alex were sitting on the bed talking.

"So, what's your real name?" Alex asked.

"Lorna," Polaris answered.

"That's a pretty name. Do you mind if I call you Lorna instead of Polaris?"

"You can call me whatever you want."

"Can I call you Valentine?"

"Sure," Lorna giggled. Alex then leaned in and kissed Lorna. After a minute, Lorna stopped the kissing. "I'm sorry, but can you please leave me alone for tonight. It's been a rough week."

"Oh sorry," Alex said. "I guess I shouldn't kiss you. You did just leave your dad. Which I still can't believe that the mutant terrorist, Magneto, is your dad."

"I can't believe it either...and it's okay if you kiss me. I don't mind that. Just not tonight."

In Wolverine's bedroom, Wolverine was lying on his bed, looking at his military tag. He wished he could remember his past, but his memory was wiped cleaned. He wasn't even sure if Logan was real name. Suddenly, there was a knock on his door.

"Come in," Wolverine said. Storm entered the bedroom and closed the door. She sat on his bed and touched his arm.

"Hey," Storm said. "How are you feeling?"

"What do you mean?" Wolverine asked.

"Well, I saw you looking at Jean and Scott," Storm answered. "You're jealous, aren't you?"

"I'm not jealous. Why would I be jealous of that guy?"

"Because he has Jean...and you don't."

"Yeah, well...you don't have anybody either!" Storm's smile disappeared and she became silent. "Sorry," Wolverine said as he sat up on the bed. "I don't mean to be a jerk."

"No, it's ok," Storm replied. "I choose not to be in a relationship. I would rather...have fun."

"What kind of fun?" Wolverine asked. Storm then kissed Wolverine and pushed him down onto the bed. Storm then got on top of his body and started to unbuckle his belt.

"Whoa!" Wolverine yelled out. "Aren't we just friends?"

"We can be friends with benefits?" Storm said. "Would you like that?"

"Oh yeah."

Alex walked out of Polaris' bedroom and looked down on the main floor to see Max holding Amara's hand. Alex smiled at Max and gave a thumbs up. Alex then went into his bedroom, giving out a huge sigh.

"I didn't get lucky tonight, JP," Alex said. "So, if you want to do anything with me, I'm vulnerable." Alex noticed that Jean-Paul was under the covers. "Why are you hiding?" Jean-Paul then lifted up the covers to reveal himself and Roberto naked. "Oh, my God!" Alex yelled out. "You two? But Roberto, you're straight!"

"I said I was sick of girls," Roberto replied.

"Uhh...okay, I'm going to uhh...go," Alex ran out of the bedroom, shocked at what he seen.

**Future Story 20: The Grief of Cannonball**

"Open the door right now!" Wolverine yelled out as he tried to open Cannonball's door.

"If he doesn't want to talk with us, we should just leave him alone," Storm said.

"No!" Wolverine yelled out. "It's been a week and he hasn't left his bedroom since!" Wolverine then kicked the door with a loud grunt. Wolverine kicked the door again and it fell forward. Wolverine and Storm entered the hotel room to find, Cannonball lying on the floor with a bottle of pills in his hand.

"Oh, my God, Storm call for help!" Wolverine yelled out as he pulled Cannonball's body off the floor.

In Utopia's hospital, Cannonball was in a bed, with Wolverine, Storm, Emma, and mutant doctor, Cecilia Reyes standing over him.

"We pumped it all out of him," Cecilia said. "He should be fine, but he'll need a lot of rest."

"Don't do anything stupid like that, ever again!" Emma yelled. Emma then walked out of the room. Storm followed. Out in the hall, Storm caught up to Emma and grabbed her arm.

"Don't touch me!" Emma yelled.

"He just lost his little sister," Storm said. "Cut him some slack."

"It was his decision to take a bunch of pills!" Emma yelled.

"But it was not his decision to lose Aero. Life is hard on all of us, so you have to be more empathetic towards him. Towards all of us."

"Life?" Emma replied. "Fate, destiny, stars? Who are we to blame the cosmos for the things we do? Honey, it isn't God that makes the mistakes...it's us."

Back in the room, Cecelia changed Cannonball's I.V and then left the room. Wolverine sat on the window panel, looking out over the city.

"You should have left me," Cannonball said.

"Don't say that," Wolverine said. "I know what you're going through."

"No you don't! I lost her, Logan. I lost my only family...I wanted to join her."

"Look, Sam...I don't want to get sappy and corny, but ever since we joined the school, we became good friends. I'm you're freaking best friend, and I'm not going to let you kill yourself. Melody wouldn't want you do that either."

"I just wanted to protect her," Cannonball said as tears rolled down his eyes.

"I know."

Night fell onto the island as news of Cannonball's suicide attempt spread around. Polaris and Havok were eating dinner in one of the island's best restaurants.

"There's something on your mind, isn't there?" Polaris asked.

"I think JP is mad at me," Havok stated.

"I don't know what happened between you two, but I'm sure Northstar isn't as mad as you think," Polaris said. "Just apologize. It isn't worth losing him as a friend."

The sound of the X-Jet flying over the island made many mutants gather to the landing spot. The X-Jet opened its doors and Angel and Beast walked out.

"Hey, where did you guys go?" Sunspot asked.

"We went to pick up some friends," Angel said with a smile. Pixie, Quill and Cipher walked off the X-Jet.

"Max!" Shadowcat yelled out with a smile. Amara and Jubilee looked at each other and gave an awkward laugh.

"There's more," Beast said. Iceman's eyes widen as he saw Rogue and Gambit exiting the jet. Then a familiar blue figure followed. It was Mystique, the former president of Utopia, who was forced out of her position by the citizens of the island. An aura of resent and anger filled the air.

To be continued...


	21. Stories 21

**X-Men: Past, Present, Future**

"There is hope for the future because God has a sense of humour and we are funny to God."- Bill Cosby

**Past Chapter 21: What the Heart Wants**

It was a Sunday afternoon and the students had just finished another session in the danger room. They all gathered into the kitchen to have a snack and chit chat.

"You did it again, Chamber!" Shiro said. "Seven enemies at once! Your power is amazing."

"Yeah, you're really explosive!" Sean joked. Raven had a face of discontent.

"Can we not talk about how cool Jono's power is?" Raven said with a snarl. "It's not even that cool." Raven stormed out of the kitchen and headed for her bedroom upstairs.

"What was that about?" Jono asked. "Does she hate me?"

"I don't think she's quite over the fact you destroyed her orphanage," Azazel said.

"Professor X told me about that," said Jono. "I didn't mean to. It was my orphanage too!"

"We all know that," Alison responded. "But it's still difficult for her to understand. Before this school, the orphanage was all she known."

"Maybe I should talk to her," Jono wondered.

"I like to avoid any conversations with girls," Fred. "They get too emotional."

In Charles' office, Charles was sitting at his desk marking homework assignments. Charles sensed Erik was about to leave the mansion, so he entered Erik's mind to communicate with him.

"Where are you going, Erik?" Charles telepathically asked.

"It's none of your business, Charles," Erik responded in his thoughts. "And don't go looking in my mind for answers. You wouldn't like it."

"Are you going to see Magda?" Charles asked through thought.

"I told you not to look through my mind."

"I didn't...Emma told me. I don't believe it's a good idea to be looking for her. It's been 25 years."

"I will do what I want, Charles. You can't stop me."

"I believe you'll only end up broken hearted if you go see her."

"The heart wants what it wants...and if it's pain that it wants, then I will give it to it." Erik stepped outside and slowly closed the door. "Goodbye, Charles."

Erik drove to a suburban neighbourhood and parked his car in front of a charming white house. Erik got out of his car and steadily made his way to the door of the house. Emma had finally caved in and found Magda's location for him. It was time for Erik to see his first and only love, after she broke his heart so many years ago. Erik rung the doorbell and waited anxiously. The door opened, revealing Magda, now 45 years old, wearing an apron covered in flour handprints. Erik was speechless as he looked into his love's eyes and seeing the beauty that she once was and still is.

"Erik!" Magda gasped as she saw the familiar face.

"Hello, Magda," Erik said with a pleasant smile.

"What are you doing here?" Magda asked.

"I wanted to see you."

"Erik, I'm married now with children."

"So? Can't I just stop by for a friendly visit?"

"Well, I'm sorry but I'm awfully busy, so you have to go." Magda tried to close the door, but Erik magnetized the metal hinges of the door to prevent them from moving.

"Aren't you going to let me in?" Erik asked.

"No, Erik. I won't let you in. Why are you doing this?"

"I still love you, Magda. I think about you all the time. Do you think about me?"

"No, never. I think about my husband and my two daughters."

"That's a lie," Erik said as he grabbed Magda's waist and pulled her in for a kiss. Their lips connected and for a brief moment, their love was rekindled.

"Don't do this!" Magda yelled out. "I can't fall in love with you again. I have the life I always wanted."

"No you don't," Erik replied. "You don't have the life you always wanted because the life you wanted involved me."

"Well, not anymore. I'm happy now...why ruin it for me?"

"You're not happy unless you're with me. I know it!"

"Please, just leave me alone. "

"I can't do that...every week, I'm going to write letters to you. Reminding you about how much love we had for each other. About all the good times we had. About-"

"Stop it!" Magda screamed. "If you want me to be happy, then leave me be." Magda ran back into her house, not caring that Erik was keeping the door open. Erik felt a pain in his chest and released his power off of the door. The door closed shut while Erik walked back to his car, fighting back the tears.

Erik found himself in his bedroom, sitting at his desk, writing a letter like he promised. He was pouring his heart out onto the paper, writing calmly at times, and vigorously at other times.

"It's Y-O-U-apostrophe-R-E," Charles said telepathically in Erik's head.

"Get out of my mind, Charles," Erik thought as he put down his pencil.

"I'm sorry, Erik, but you're making a big mistake," Charles answered.

"No, my friend, you are," Erik said as he stormed out of his bedroom and made his way down to the lower levels.

Erik entered Hank's lab and grabbed Hank by the collar and vented. A confused and scared Hank, grabbed Erik's hands and tried to calm him down. Erik let go of the collar and sat down on a chair.

"I need your help," Erik said to Hank as his temperature cooled down.

"What is it?" Hank asked.

"I want you to make an invention to block telepathy."

"What? No, I won't do that."

"You have to, Hank."

"I don't think it's even possible."

"You can find a way!"

"No, I won't do it. Charles and Emma would be furious with me."

"Forget about them. Just make something that will block all telepathy!"

"No, I refuse to do that."

"You know for someone afraid of Charles and Emma, you sure are going ahead with an invention that they won't agree upon."

"What's that?"

"The cure...Raven told me. Charles would have your head if he ever found out...of course, he may already know...he may already be in your head right now..." Erik slowly walked towards the door, waiting for Hank to respond.

"Ok, I'll do it," Hank said as he sunk into his chair, realizing how scary it was to think that Charles was in his head every second of everyday.

**Present Chapter 21: Magneto's Plan Revealed**

"Where's Amara?" Idie asked as her and Jubilee walked into the school's library.

"She's with Max," Jubilee said as she picked a table to sit at.

"She's been with him ever since Valentine's Day right?" asked Idie.

"Yeah," Jubilee replied. "I'm happy for her."

"Are you really?" Idie asked. Sooraya walked into the library and sat down at the table with the girls.

"Hey, are we going to study for Biology or History first?" Sooraya asked Jubilee.

"Let's do Biology. How's being roommates with Polaris?" Jubilee asked.

"You mean Lorna? It's alright," Sooraya answered."She keeps to herself a lot, but it's a lot better than being roommates with The Faux Three."

"The Faux Three?" Idie asked.

"That's the name I gave to Jeanne-Marie, Kitty and Sophia. They are fake and mean and I can't stand them!"

In the kitchen, Jean-Paul and Roberto were joking around as they tried to make blended drinks. Alex walked into the kitchen, intending to wash a plate, but was caught off guard with the sight of the new couple.

"Hey, want a smoothie?" Jean-Paul asked.

"No, thanks," Alex said as he placed the plate in the sink.

"We're making strawberries and bananas," Roberto said.

"And pineapple!" Jean-Paul added. "Your favourite!"

"I said no thanks," Alex said as he ran out of the kitchen.

"What's wrong with him?" Roberto asked.

"I don't think he's really comfortable with us..." Jean-Paul said. "He comes into our bedroom, announcing himself now, just to make sure we're not doing it. I thought it was cute at first but now it's just annoying."

In Lorna's room, Alex and Lorna were talking on the bed.

"It's just...I don't think he should be with someone," Alex said. "He should focus on his studies."

"Well, you're with me aren't you?" Lorna questioned.

"Yeah, but that's different," Alex responded.

"How? Because he's gay?"

"No, it's just that...I always felt...that maybe he could be the one..."

"You're telling me, your girlfriend, that your gay best friend, might be the one?"

"Sorry, forget what I said!"

"I'm going to try..." Suddenly, the door opened, and Professor X and the X-Men entered the room.

"Sorry to interrupt but can we please have a few minutes to talk to Lorna," Professor X asked.

"Yeah, of course," Alex said as he walked towards the door. Cyclops pulled Alex's arm before he could leave.

"Hey, why aren't you take my automotive class? I still have one spot left just for you," Cyclops said.

"Scott, not now," Jean whispered as she pulled Cyclops away from his brother. Alex exited the room, leaving Scott hurt. Cannonball closed the door and the X-Men turned their attention to Lorna.

"So, it's been a week and we believe that we gave you enough time to adjust to your new surroundings," Storm said. "But now we want to ask..." Storm tried to find the words she wanted to say to Lorna without seeming rude or too assertive.

"You want me to tell you about Magneto's plan," Lorna stated. "I knew you wanted to ask the first day I got here."

"So, what does Magneto want with Betsey?" Professor X asked. "What is he planning?"

"Magneto is building a machine," Lorna explained. "The machine is going to amplify his power, making it able to reach the whole world and even outer space. Magneto is planning to announce to the world that he has such a machine after the Proposition X vote. He believes Proposition X won't pass and that he'll need the machine to threaten the world."

"He's trying to earn mutant rights by scaring the world," Wolverine responded.

"No," Colossus said. "He's trying to start a war."

"What does he want with Betsey, then? And Madelyne?" Jean asked.

"He needed a powerful telepath to find Betsey," answered Lorna. "We discovered Madelyne through a list of voluntary mutant registration of Chicago. She was classified as a class 4 telepath and telekinetic. Magneto knew that it would be difficult for the Professor to sense Madelyne since her telepathy was more powerful."

"Luckily, she used her telepathy to call for help," Professor X stated.

"We were hoping to control her mind with the mind controlling devices from Weapon X that we stole...it was the reason why Magneto had Mystique go undercover as Senator Kelly's assistant...it wasn't because he was looking for me. He didn't even care."

"I think he cared to get you on his side instead of ours," Cyclops said. Jean touched Cyclops' shoulder, indicating Cyclops needed to refrain from commenting.

"We were going to use Madelyne to locate Betsey, but you came along to stop us," Lorna continued. "So, we went to Emma Frost as a last resort. Unfortunately, he knew Emma would rat us out."

"Ok, but why does Magneto want Betsey in the first place?" Angel asked.

"Betsey is able to create and manipulate psychic energy and change it into thermal and kinetic energy," Lorna explained. "Imagine a powerful blast of energy coming from her fingers. She can use that energy as a force field or make shapes out of it and use it as a weapon. If Magneto were to use his machine, he would need a source of reliable energy to power it."

"And the government can simply cut that source of energy to prevent Magneto from using the machine," Beast realized. "Unless he has his own source, powerful enough to power the machine for hours if not days."

"Exactly," Lorna replied. "The machine is almost complete. He just needs one more thing."

"What is it?" Wolverine asked.

"It's a piece of energy conversion technology," Lorna answered. "It will allow him to convert Betsey's psychic energy into the machine as a usable energy source for his magnetic power. The machine running on regular electricity alone can only amplify his power for a short distance and a short amount of time."

"How do you know if the machine works?" Cannonball asked.

"Because I was the first to try it," Lorna said. "He wanted to make sure it wouldn't kill him..." Storm sat down on the bed and wrapped her arm around Lorna's shoulder, trying to comfort the girl.

"Where is this energy converter?" Jean asked.

"Mystique says it was invented by Worthington Corporation, the place Betsey worked at," Lorna answered.

"Worthington Corporation?" Colossus repeated as he turned to Angel.

"That's my father's company," said Angel with a worry face.

**Future Chapter 21: Return of Mystique**

"She'll ruin everything!" Colossus yelled as he slammed his fist on the table. The X-Men had gathered in City Hall, discussing the return of Mystique to Utopia.

"I'm not here to ruin anything," Mystique said. "I would also like to be a part of this war."

"You ruined this island before we made you resigned!" Colossus said.

"Well, Beast and Angel here told me that you're looking through my files. Apparently, I am quite handy to the cause."

"Well, we have no idea why you kept these files a secret!" Colossus yelled.

"I was going to tell you soon!" Mystique yelled back.

"Everybody, stop yelling!" Emma yelled. "Mystique, do you have any more files?"

"Yes," Mystique answered. "I brought them all with me here."

"Well, then we have no other choice but to allow Mystique to return here," Emma said.

"But-" Colossus was interrupted by Emma.

"No questions! Mystique, what do you have for us?"

"The concentration camps in China," Mystique said. "I know the locations of the remaining three."

"Perfect," Emma said. "With the addition of these new mutants, we're going to have to split the team further...into three...take a short break while I think about how the teams should be split."

The X-Men talked amongst themselves as they waited for Emma to once again divide the team. Wind Dancer, Psylocke and Cipher were discussing Cannonball's suicide attempt.

"I can't believe Mr. Guthrie did that," Cipher said.

"You still call him that?" Wind Dancer asked. "I haven't called him that since his Art class."

"I miss his Art Class," Cipher said. "I remember he always praised my ability to draw amazing human figures!"

"I remember when I was in the Brotherhood, I would get into a few fights with Cannonball," Psylocke stated. "He was quite a fun fellow to fight with. Very strong and very handsome...too bad I was the bad guy."

Over on the other side of the room, Shadowcat and Iceman were talking. "Are you okay with Rogue and Gambit being here?" Shadowcat asked.

"Of course," Iceman responded. "Why wouldn't I be...how's Pixie doing? She's not going to join the X-Men?"

"Megan is too young," Shadowcat answered. "We'll let her just live here peacefully."

Emma then stood up and walked into the centre of the room and called for the mutants to gather around.

"I have split the team into three teams," Emma began. "On the Red Team will be Psylocke, Dust, Rogue, Wolverine, Nightcrawler and Sunspot. The team will be led by Storm. On the Blue Team will be Cipher, Wind Dancer, Shadowcat, Northstar, Havok and Iceman. They would be led by Cyclops. And the Yellow Team will have Polaris, Magma, Jubilee, Quill, Hellion and Angel. This team will be lead by...Colossus."

"Me?" Colossus asked. "But I thought I was going to be a part of the advisory, not going to missions."

"I need Mystique to be a part of the advisory, and you clearly can't handle being with her," Emma explained. "This will be better for you. If I didn't call your name, then I am asking you to take a break for a little while, until we need you."

As the team left City Hall, Oya went up to Emma to ask why her name wasn't called.

"I'm sorry, but Storm told me you couldn't control your emotions on the mission in Nigeria," Emma stated. "It's best that you stay here and train." Oya ran out of City Hall in tears. Wolverine approached Emma wanting to ask a question.

"And what about Cannonball you ask?" Emma said after reading Wolverine's mind. "I'm sorry but he's not in the right mental condition to be fighting. I don't think he will ever be."

To be continued...


	22. Stories 22

**X-Men: Past, Present, Future**

"One of the worst things about racism is what it does to young people"- Alvin Ailey

**Past Chapter 22: The Beast Within**

In Charles and Moira's bedroom, Charles and Moira were preparing to go to bed. Moira crawled into the bed, trying to snuggle up to Charles. Charles however lightly pushed her away as he tried to read the newspaper.

"Charles, what's wrong?" asked Moira.

"Just another bad day for mutants," Charles said as he pointed to an article in the paper. "Three individuals were fired from Worthington Corporation for being mutants because the President, Warren Worthington II believed that they were a threat, despite the mutants powers were simply super speed, hair colour changing and one had an extra finger and toe."

"Class 1 mutants," Moira stated. "Such a shame. But there's something else on your mind, isn't there?"

"It's Erik," said Charles. "He's just not the same. Lately, Erik and I haven't been on the same level of understanding as we used to be."

"Maybe he's still mad at you for sending him away to Israel?" wondered Moira.

"I didn't have much of a choice," said Charles. Suddenly, a loud roar was heard throughout the mansion. Charles and Moira looked at each other when they heard the roar. Charles used his telepathy to find out where it was coming from.

"What was that?" asked a scared Moira.

"It's Hank!" Charles yelled as he jumped out of bed.

Raven went down to the kitchen to get a class of milk. She wasn't expecting to see Jono standing in the kitchen, making a late night sandwich.

"Hey," Jono greeted. "Want a sandwich?"

"No, I'm good," responded Raven. "I'm just here for some milk."

"Raven, I'm sorry," Jono stated. "I'm sorry I killed Irene. I didn't mean to."

"Destiny," Raven said. "I used to call her Destiny."

"I'm still sorry. I just couldn't control my power then. Every day I feel guilty and regret for killing Irene and everybody else that night...I wished I died that night." Raven's heart sunk as she realized she shouldn't be angry at Jono. She hugged her fellow classmate, trying to comfort him and herself.

"Don't say such things," Raven said."You're in a better place now. We can both move on." Suddenly, a loud roar was heard throughout the mansion.

"What was that?" Jono asked.

"I don't know," replied Raven. "I think it came from the basement." The two students slowly walked out of the kitchen and looked at the door that led to the basement.

"Should we go check it out?" asked Jono. The two then heard footsteps running down the stairs. It was Charles, Moira, Erik, Tessa and the rest of the students.

In Tessa's bedroom, Tessa was listening to the radio while she drank a glass of wine. Then a strange chilling feeling ran through her body. Tessa sensed immense power from far away. Tessa put down her glass of wine and looked out her window. She was detecting a great force that she never felt before. Suddenly, a loud roar was heard throughout the mansion. Tessa quickly ran out of her bedroom and looked around. She wondered if the roar came from the massive power she was feeling. Erik poked his head out of his bedroom and saw Tessa.

"What the hell was that?" Erik asked.

"I don't know," Tessa replied. Suddenly, Charles' bedroom door opened and Charles and Moira ran out.

"Charles, what was that?" asked Erik.

"It's Hank!" Charles said as he ran towards the stairs. Tessa and Erik followed Charles as each of the students ran out of their bedrooms, awoken by the roar.

The group made their way down the stairs to join Jono and Raven at the basement door. Charles led the group down into the basement and towards the lab. Charles opened the door and everybody was shocked at the sight they saw. A blue furry animal, wearing clothes that Hank wore, was on the floor, covering its face. The animal wore Hank's glasses on its blue ape like face. It's hands were blue with sharp claws and his feet were large and covered in blue fur.

"Hank?" Charles asked. The group realized that the blue animal was Dr. Hank McCoy.

"It didn't work," Hank yelled out.

"What didn't work?" Charles asked. Raven looked at Erik as they both realized what Hank was referring to. Hank picked himself up and took a deep breath.

"The cure," said Hank. "I was trying to make a cure for mutation. It didn't work." Hank turned to Raven and looked deep into her eyes. "Your blood only sped up my mutation, to become what it was meant to be...except the blue pigment in your DNA also transformed my fur to blue."

"I'm sorry," Raven said.

"It's not your fault," Erik reassured her.

"Everybody get back to bed," Charles ordered. The students slowly left the lab and returned back to their bedrooms.

After a minute of silence, Hank sat down on his chair and put his palms to his face. Charles placed his hand on Hank's shoulder and gently shook him.

"It's alright," Charles said. "From now on, you'll learn to accept yourself."

"I think we should all go back to bed," Moira stated.

"Wait," said Tessa. "It wasn't Hank."

"What wasn't Hank?" asked Moira.

"The power I'm feeling," answered Tessa. "I've been detecting something very powerful. More powerful than anything I've ever felt before."

"A mutant?" asked Erik. "A class 5 perhaps?"

"No," Tessa said with a worried face. "Something far more powerful. Something beyond mutant."

**Present Chapter 22: Worthington Corporation**

In San Francisco, at Worthington Corporation, the X-Men joined with armed security officers were guarding the building. On the top floor of the building, Angel and Jean watched as Angel's father, Warren Worthington II, packed his briefcase and put on his trench coat. His assistant, Kavita Rao, stood at the door, holding a metal brief case in her hands.

"Dad, you have to hurry," Angel stated. "You should have been out of here hours ago."

"I'm going, I'm going," Mr. Worthington said. "It's not every day I'm being threatened by mutant terrorist and I have to be escorted out of my own office building."

"Is the energy converter with you?" Jean asked.

"It's right in here," Kavita replied as she tapped the metal brief case. "The car is waiting for us downstairs." Kavita and Mr. Worthington exited the office and headed towards the elevator. Angel and Jean followed the two.

"We should have known that Betsey would betray us," Mr. Worthington said.

"What was her job here?" asked Angel.

"We were experimenting with the energy converter to see if her psychic energy could become a new source of a renewable energy for the world," answered Mr. Worthington. "I could have made millions. But now the very same technology is wanted to be used against me." The elevator doors opened and Mr. Worthington and Kavita entered the elevator.

"Don't worry about us," Kavita said. "We'll be safe." The elevator door closed and Angel walked back into his father's office.

Angel looked at the framed photograph of his father, mother and him on his father's desk. Angel sat on the big black leather chair that his father had sat in for years. Jean entered the office and placed her hand on Angel's shoulder.

"You weren't meant to fill his shoes," said Jean.

"I still wish I could have," said Angel. "Make him realize that mutants aren't bad."

"I think he's starting to realize that slowly," said Jean. "Just give him some more time." Suddenly, Storm entered the office.

"Hey, Wolverine and Cannonball are with security on the main floor," Storm stated. "Colossus, Cyclops and Beast are on the 15th floor with the rest of security."

"Ok," said Jean. "If The Brotherhood hits, we'll be ready." Suddenly, Storm's communication device beeped. Storm answered it and heard Cyclops' voice.

"Security says there's a helicopter on the roof," Cyclops said in the communication device.

"Ok," said Storm. "I'll go check it out."

Jean used her telekinesis to lift the glass window from the panel and place it gently on the floor. Storm then summoned a wind to carry her out of the window and fly onto the roof. Storm approached the helicopter and saw Blob sitting in the pilot seat.

"Hello, Blob," said Storm.

"Hello, Beautiful," Blob responded with a big smile and spinach in his teeth.

"You got food in your teeth," Storm said. Suddenly, a long green tongue wrapped around Storm's leg and lifted her in the air.

Back in the office, Jean sensed there was something wrong.

"What is it?" Angel asked.

"Storm's in trouble," Jean stated. Suddenly, an upside down Storm was hanging from the top of the window. Jean reached her hand out and used her telekinesis to pull Storm and Toad into the office. Storm then punched Toad in the face and kicked him in the stomach.

The ground then shook, as Blob made his way from the roof to inside the building. With every footstep, Blob created small earthquakes that followed him into the office. Angel ran up to Blob and punched him in the face. Blob took a few steps back before he grabbed Angel and threw him into a bookshelf. Storm and Jean ran up to Blob to attack him at the same time. Blob picked up the desk and through it at Storm, who ducked. Toad then used his tongue to grab Jean's waist and throw her out of the office and into the hallway. Blob then grabbed Storm and Angel and knocked their heads together.

On the 15th floor, Cyclops, Beast and Colossus were investigating a noise they were hearing from the hallway. The noise came from a utility closet, which sounded like a dull whimpering. Beast opened the door, revealing Kavita Rao, wounded and with duck tape on her mouth.

"Rao!" Beast yelled out. "Who did this to you?" Beast lifted Rao off the floor and removed the duck tape off her mouth.

"The blue woman," Kavita said as she gasped for breath.

"Mystique?" Cyclops questioned. Cyclops looked at Colossus and realized that they've been fooled.

Back on the top floor, Blob was pulling on Storm's hair, while Toad was choking Jean with his tongue. Suddenly, Cyclops voice came on Storm's communication device stating that Mystique was impersonating Kavita Rao. Angel heard the message and lifted himself off the floor. In a fit of rage, Angel grabbed Toad's tongue and pulled him out of the window. Angel flew up high, holding onto Toad's tongue and threw him across the city. Toad landed on the roof of another building. Angel then flew back into the office and punched Blob in the face. Blob let go of Storm's hair and tried to grab Angel. Angel kicked Blob in the back and pushed him out of the window, making him fall to his death. Storm and Jean got up on their feet and ran over to Angel, who was staring out at the city.

"Where is your father heading?" Jean asked.

"I don't know, but go tell the others I'm going to look for him!" Angel yelled as he jumped out of the building and flew away.

"I'll follow him," said Storm as she summoned a wind to lift her outside.

Jean telepathically alerted the rest of the X-Men. On the main floor, Wolverine and Cannonball got the message and ran outside. Wolverine sniffed the air and then pointed in the direction of what he smelt.

"What is your nose telling you?" Cannonball asked.

"There's a fire a few blocks away from here," Wolverine stated.

Up in the sky, Angel flew over the buildings searching for the car his father and fake Kavita Rao took. Angel noticed the smoke coming from the ground and realized it was a burning car. The burning car was the same car that his father was in. Storm who was following behind also noticed the fire and quickly landed near the burning car. Storm then summoned a rain cloud over the car to put out the fire. Angel landed on the ground and opened the car door. Wolverine and Cannonball along with a few security arrived at the scene. Angel pulled his father out of the back of the car and settled him into his arms. Cannonball looked into the car and didn't find any signs of anyone else.

"It's empty!" Cannonball yelled out.

"Dad, what happened?" asked Angel as he tried to comfort his father.

"Kavita turned into a blue woman," Mr. Worthington said. "The woman kicked me a few times before the driver stopped the car. Then her and the driver got out and the driver then snapped his fingers and then flames appeared out of nowhere."

"Mystique and Pryo," Storm stated as she realized who was responsible.

"They took the converter," Mr. Worthington said as he coughed. "The terrorist have it now."

**Future Story 22: Back in China**

"Take this!" Nightcralwer yelled as he teleported in front of a Chinese soldier and kicked him in the face. Rogue then ran up to another soldier and touched his face, knocking him out.

"That's the last of them," Rogue said. "Too bad my husband couldn't be here to help."

"I don't know why, Emma didn't allow Gambit on a team," Dust said.

"She told me it was because she didn't want lovers on the same team and she already made her minds on the team she wanted, and Gambit just got in the way with her plans," Rogue stated as she put her gloves back on.

"That's probably why I don't get to fight beside my Jean-Paul," Sunspot said.

"Yeah but me and Storm are on a team," Wolverine said. "And we get it on every now and then."

"Yeah, but Storm is the leader," said Nightcrawler. "She can control herself."

"Hey!" Storm yelled out from up in the sky. "Let's get back to the helicopter."

"Let's just hope the Blue and Yellow team aren't having trouble shutting down these concentration camps," Psylocke stated.

"Agreed," replied Dust.

In another part of China, the Yellow team got into a brawl with Chinese soldiers that were occupying the concentration camp. Polaris turned the guns the soldiers had on them and began to shoot. Quill punched and kicked a few soldiers with his quills drawn out, killing them in the process. Magma shot lava at some of the soldiers, while Jubilee created an electric explosion that killed the remaining soldiers. Angel, Colossus and Hellion gathered the mutants that were forced into the camps and took them onto the X-Jet.

"We're going to have to take them to a safe part in China before flying to the camps where the Red and Blue teams are," Colossus stated. "We need to help them gather the mutants."

"Let's hurry then," said Angel as he helped a woman onto the jet.

"How many are there?" Hellion asked.

"I believe 25 in this camp," said Angel. "The least out of the three."

In another part of China, Cipher had turned invisible and walked into a tent that the leader of the soldiers was in. Cipher cracked his neck and ran out of the tent. An energy blast from Havok and an optical blast from Cyclops destroyed the gates of the camp, allowing the prisoners to escape. The 45 prisoners ran out of the camp and into the nearby forest. They ran towards a river that they could not cross. However, they saw several helicopters on the other side of the river. Northstar and Wind Dancer flew to the side where the prisoners were, while Iceman created a path on the river for them to cross. Shadowcat ran across the path of ice to greet the prisoners.

"Come on," Shadowcat said. "There isn't much time." Shadowcat, Northstar and Wind Dancer helped the prisoners cross the icy path and get onto the helicopters. Suddenly, gunshots were fired from a dozen soldiers who were looking for the mutants. Cyclops' optic blast killed half of the soldiers. In the air, the X-Jet flew over the sky and opened its door while still in the air. Standing at the door was Hellion who used his telekinetic powers to lift the remaining soldiers into the air and throw them into the river. The swift current pulled the soldiers away towards a waterfall, killing them.

"Good work," Colossus stated as he signalled for Angel to land the jet. Colossus exited the jet to greet Cyclops.

"I still can't believe you got the jet," Cyclops said.

"Emma owes me for taking me off the panel," Colossus said.

One of the Chinese mutants approached Cyclops and Colossus carrying her baby in her arms. She was malnourished and looked sick. Her baby was crying as she held the baby tight.

"Where are you taking us?" the woman asked.

"To a safe place," Cyclops stated. "A safe place for mutants."

To be continued...


	23. Stories 23

**X-Men: Past, Present, Future**

"If we don't end war, war will end us," H.G. Wells

**Past Chapter 23: The Flying Banshee**

In Cerebro, Tessa and Emma watched as Charles turned off the machine. Charles was trying to locate the powerful force that Tessa detected, but was unsuccessful.

"Are you sure it's a mutant?" Charles asked.

"It has to be because my powers only let me detect mutants," Tessa answered. "But whoever this mutant is, I've never felt such great power before."

"The mutant must be nearby if you can feel his or her powers," Emma stated.

"That's what I fear..." Tessa said as she exited Cerebro with Charles and Emma following.

As the three made their way through the basement hallways, the door to Hank's lab opened with Hank and Sean walking out of it. Sean was wearing the X-Men uniform but with additional attachments. He had loose shiny fabric attached to his arms.

"What's going on here?" Charles asked.

"Hank made a new invention for me," Sean said. "We're going to test it out."

"I think I've seen that outfit on the runway before," Emma joked.

"Joke all you want," said Hank. "But Sean here is going to fly."

Hank and Sean looked out the window from the third floor. They saw everybody waiting outside anxiously to watch Sean fly. Sean was getting nervous and his hands began to shake.

"Don't worry, Sean," said Hank. "You can do this."

"What if it doesn't work?" Sean asked.

"Trust me, it will work," said Hank.

"Your cure didn't work!"

"Well, me adding some extra fabric to your uniform isn't going to turn you into a blue ape."

"Hurry it up!" Erik yelled from the ground.

Sean took a deep breath and positioned his body to jump out of the window. Hank patted him on the shoulder and then took a few steps back. Sean jumped out of the window while spreading his arms and legs. Within a second, Sean ended up on the ground in front of his fellow classmates.

"Sean, are you ok?" Alison asked as she helped Sean get back on his feet.

"You just landed on your face!" Fred laughed.

"You were suppose to scream!" Hank yelled from the window.

"Now you tell me!" Sean yelled back.

Sean found himself at the window again, looking down to see the others waiting for him to jump again. Sean's heartbeat was thumping louder and quicker as he anticipated to fail.

"Remember to scream this time," said Hank as he patted Sean's shoulder and took a few steps back.

"Do you think he can do it?" asked Moira from the ground to Charles.

"If he focuses on what he wants to achieve," Charles responded.

Sean jumped out of the window and screamed. But it was just a regular scream, not his mutant ability. This caused Sean to once again find himself on the ground, with more bruises than before.

"You were supposed to use your mutant scream!" Hank yelled out from the window.

"Oh," Sean said as he tried to get himself up.

"What did you think he meant when he told you to scream?" Emma asked.

"Well, I did scream didn't I?" Sean said as he brushed the grass stains off his uniform.

"Come, on!" Shiro said. "Do it right!"

"Yeah!" Raven said. "You're not Sean. You're Banshee."

"The flying Banshee," Azazel added.

"The flying Banshee?" Sean repeated. "Yeah, I am the flying Banshee! I'm going to fly!" Sean ran back into the mansion and made his way to back to the third floor window.

"Good support you guys," Charles said to the students.

"We just wanted to see him fall on his face again," Shiro laughed.

Sean was perched on the third floor window for the third time. He closed his eyes and imagined himself flying. He imagined the wind lifting him up and swirling him around. Sean opened his eyes and once again saw the faces of his fellow classmates, smiling at him. Sean took a deep breath and once again jumped out of the window. Sean opened his mouth and released a powerful sonic scream. The scream propelled his body into the air, while the fabric under his arms opened to reveal to be parachute like wings. The wind lifted the parachutes and caused Sean to propel to higher altitudes. Sean was flying and everybody on the ground was cheering for him.

"I'm flying!" Sean yelled out. As Sean got closer to the ground, he released another sonic scream that lifted him up in the air again.

"Wow, look at him go," Charles said.

"He looks like a flying squirrel," Jono stated. Everybody laugh.

"Come on now," responded Charles. "Don't make fun of your friend. He's putting his powers to good use."

"No, he's right," Moira said. "Sean does look like a flying squirrel."

"Can we call him that instead of Banshee?" Azazel asked.

"He'll be an important asset on missions," said Erik.

"Missions? We haven't been on a mission for a month!" Raven stated.

**Present Chapter 23: Proposition X**

"Let's go you guys," Jean said as she put on her jacket.

"Where are you going?" asked Wolverine as he watched Storm, Cyclops and Colossus put on their jackets and shoes.

"We're going to vote on proposition X," Colossus answered. "We have to make sure Magneto doesn't use that machine of his."

"Coming Logan?" Cyclops asked.

"I don't do that voting shit," Wolverine said. "I don't trust the government."

"I wouldn't think you would vote," Cyclops said. "You're a voice nobody wants to listen to."

"Hey, buddy how about you take your vote and shove it up your a-,"

"Logan!" Storm interrupted. "How about you come vote with us? We need as many mutants as we can." The door opened with Angel and Professor X entering the mansion.

"We casted our votes," Professor X said. "We'll watch the children while you guys go vote."

"Let's go everyone!" Jean said as her and Cyclops exited the mansion.

"What do you say?" Storm asked Wolverine as she touched his chest softly.

"I don't vote," Wolverine said. Storm shrugged her shoulders and walked out of the door with Colossus.

Wolverine found himself standing in the hallway, thinking if he should vote or not. Suddenly, Cannonball appeared with one shoe on his foot and the other shoe in his hand. Cannonball quickly put the other shoe on his other foot and tied it.

"Want to go to the bar?" Wolverine asked.

"Maybe later," Cannonball said. "I got to vote first."

"You too?" Wolverine asked.

"Yeah, I don't want to be silent about what I care about," Cannonball replied. "I want to make sure Melody is safe in this world."

"She's safe in this school!" Wolverine stated.

"She can't stay in school forever," Cannonball said as he ran out the door. Wolverine shook his head.

"Wait up!" Wolverine yelled as he ran out the door.

After dinner, everybody gathered in the living room to watch the announcement of the Proposition X vote. Bobby and Kurt joined as they waited for the vote.

"Did you see Rogue there?" Kurt asked Bobby.

"No," Bobby said. "I don't think she voted."

"Too bad," said Kurt as he drank his orange juice.

"It's such a shame we couldn't vote," Jeanne-Marie said.

"Yeah, that would have been awesome," Sofia responded.

Colossus sat down next to Kitty, who was frozen stiff. Kitty hadn't been the same around her teacher ever since she kissed him on Valentine's Day and got rejected. Kitty quickly got up from her seat and stood next to Amara and Max. Amara and Max were holding hands and giggling. Kitty felt uncomfortable standing next to them, so she moved next to her friends Jeanne-Marie and Sofia.

Alex and Lorna sat on the other couch, holding hands. Alex then spotted Jean-Paul and Roberto coming into the living room.

"Hey, Northstar!" Bobby greeted. "I heard you two are dating now."

"Yes, we are," Jean-Paul replied.

"That's good," said Bobby. "Everybody deserves a chance at love."

"Hey, everybody be quiet!" Jean said. "They're announcing the results!"

Jean turned up the volume on the TV as everybody got quiet. The announcer on TV began to speak. "After over 200 million votes across the US, we finally have the results of the Proposition X vote. Remember, if the vote goes through, mutant rights such as insurance, marriage and adoption will go through...and now let's take a look at the results...it looks like Proposition X did not pass. With only 45% voting for in favour, while 55% voted against. It looks like mutant rights will not be given tonight."

"Oh my God!" Jeanne-Marie yelled out.

"This can't be!" Roberto said. "This just can't be!"

"I wasted my time voting!" Wolverine screamed.

"What do we do now?" Kitty asked.

"Is Magneto going to kill us all?" Jubilee asked in fear.

"Magneto is going to kill us!" Melody cried as she jumped into Cannonball's arms.

"Calm down everybody!" Angel said. "Professor, what do we do?"

Professor X took a deep breath and then turned to Lorna.

"Lorna, where did Magneto say he was going to use the machine?" Professor X asked.

"He's going to use the machine in the center of the United States," Lorna answered.

"Where's that?" Cyclops asked.

"It's near Lebanon, Kansas," answered Beast. "If he puts the machine there, he can cause collateral damage throughout the US."

"We better get there and stop him then," Cyclops said.

Suddenly, the TV began to produce static. After a while, Magneto's face appeared on screen.

"Good evening, Mutants and homo sapiens," Magneto began. "I knew you wouldn't pass the vote that would make us equals. This is why I am announcing the destruction of your country. You brought this on yourself. Soon your cities will fall. The Brotherhood will rise to become mutant leaders. Any mutants who wish to stop me are not safe. All humans are not safe."

Suddenly, the TV broadcast returned to normal with the news announcer looking confused and scared. Jean quickly turned off the TV, as everyone was silent from what they just witnessed.

"I'm scared," said Longshot.

"Me too," Roxanne said.

"Don't worry," said Cyclops. "We'll fight and we'll beat Magneto. We won't let anything happen to you."

"Do you promise?" Megan asked with tears rolling down her eyes.

"I promise," Cyclops said as he hugged the little girl.

The X-Men got into their uniforms and got onto the jet. Professor X and the students watched as Beast prepared to fly the jet.

"I wish we could help them," Kurt said.

"One day you will," Professor X said. "Just not this day."

"I hope they come back safe," Aisha worried.

"They will," Sooraya said. "Just have faith."

"Yeah, Magneto is going to get his ass kicked!" Julian said.

"Julian, don't say that word!" Professor X said.

"Oops, sorry."

The jet lifted up into the air and left the mansion. The kids watched as the jet flew into the sky, putting all their faith into the X-Men. All they had left was faith.

**Future Chapter 23: Love in Utopia**

Wolverine and Cannonball were at the bar, drinking and laughing. It had been three weeks since Cannonball drank, and only two weeks since his suicide attempt. The two men roared with laughter as onlookers smiled at the sight. Everybody was in high spirits.

"They look like they're having a good time!" Shadowcat stated with a smile.

"Who wouldn't have a good time?" Wind Dancer said. "We saved 112 Chinese mutants from concentration camps, Angel just told us that there's an uprising lead by humans who are fighting for mutant rights in the US and in France, and Cannonball is laughing again!"

"War or not, I guess life is too short to be sitting and crying all day," Nightcrawler stated as he drank his beer. "All that's left is to find love!"

"Love?" Cipher said. "Please, we gotta find peace first before we try to find love!"

"Aisha, why are you so down on love?" asked Shadowcat.

"I ain't down on it!" Cipher replied. "It's just the last thing on my mind."

Wolverine got up and patted Cannonball on the shoulder as he left the bar. Cannonball found himself alone, drinking his beer. Suddenly, he felt a hand caress the back of his head. Cannonball turned around to be greeted by Psylocke.

"Hey there, Sexy," Psylocke said as she took the seat next to Cannonball. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling pretty good," Cannonball said. Psylocke touched a scar on Cannonball's right arm.

"I left a scar on you didn't I?"

"A pretty big one."

"I'm sure you know a lot about pretty big things..." Psylocke bit her lip and played with her hair. Cannonball's raised one eye brow as he began to catch on to what Psylocke was hinting at. The two drank one more beer and then left the bar together.

At the other side of the bar, Rogue and Gambit sat and drank beers together while eating fries. Gambit was feeding Rogue fries, which Iceman saw. Unable to watch the sight of his ex-girlfriend being happy with her current boyfriend, Iceman got up and walked out of the bar. Outside, he spotted Jubilee sitting on a bench looking up at the stars.

"Hey," Iceman said. "What are you doing out here?"

"I needed some fresh air," Jubilee said. "Sometimes I don't like the smell of bars. Are you done drinking for the night?"

"Yeah, I'm getting tired," Iceman said as he sat next to Jubilee. "I kind of miss the US."

"Me too," Jubilee said. "I miss all the nightclubs there. And the music. There's no music here in Utopia."

"That's because the music industry refuses to sell their music to us," said Iceman. The two spotted a Chinese woman and her two toddler children walking on the other side of the street. The woman smiled and the kids waved at them. Jubilee and Iceman waved back.

"It's so great we got to help them," Jubilee said.

"Yeah," Iceman said. Jubilee smiled and placed her hand on Iceman's lap. It must have been the mood in the air or the drinks in Iceman's system, but the two mutants found themselves locked in a kiss. After a passionate kiss on the bench, the two mutants returned to the hotel together.

To be continued...


	24. Stories 24

**X-Men: Past, Present, Future**

"He who surpasses or subdues mankind, must look down on the hate of those below." - Lord Bryon

**Past Chapter 24: Hell at the Mall**

"This dress is so cute!" Alison squealed as she grabbed a dress off a rack. The young mutants decided to head to the mall, instead of studying.

"Can we go check out the sports store?" Shiro asked.

"The school has everything when it comes to sports equipment," Alison replied. "Let's shop for things Professor X can't give us!"

"Like what?" asked Jono.

"Like that sweatshirt over there!" Alison yelled out as she pointed to men's sweatshirt. "Jono, that would look good on you!"

Outside the store, Raven and Azazel were sitting on a bench and drinking milkshakes. Raven had disguised herself as a black hair blue eyed girl. Azazel was covered in special makeup that Beast invented, to make him appear 'normal'.

"Does the makeup itch?" Raven asked.

"I don't even feel it," Azazel answered.

"How's your tail doing?" Raven asked.

"It's taped to my back and it's making me very uncomfortable," Azazel answered as he sipped his milkshake.

"Do you want to go home?"

"No, it's fine, everybody is having fun," Azazel said. "I don't want to ruin it."

"I'll go home with you if you want."

"Oh, I get it."

"What?"

"I know the real reason why you want to go home."

"What?"

"You want to be with Magneto."

"Erik?"

"You even call him Erik. You like him."

"I do not...and I call him Erik because I'm a few years younger than him, remember?"

"Everybody knows you like him."

"I don't like, Erik!"

Raven furiously stood up and began walking away from Azazel. She only managed to walk a few steps before she was stopped by chanting. A group of people marched down the mall, carrying signs that read: we hate mutants. They were an activist group that were anti-mutant. Raven turned around and sat back down next to Azazel. The others came out of the store and watched as the activists marched down the mall and chanted, "We hate mutants! We want them gone!"

Suddenly, a twister formed in the middle of the activists, sending several of them flying into the air before landing in various places within in the mall. A Latin man wearing a black suit with a blue tie stood in the middle of the mall. He lifted his palms to the ceiling where small twisters came out from them. "Mutant!" one of the people in the mall yelled out. Everybody began to panic as the mutant sent out twisters that swept people off their feet and send them flying in the air.

"What do we do?" Sean asked. Raven and Azazel ran into the store to join the others.

"We have to run away," Jono said.

"No, we should fight!" Fred yelled out.

"If we do that then everybody would think we're attacking them!" said Shiro.

Suddenly, one of the twisters entered the store. The students hid behind the cashier counter as they watched the twister rip apart the store. After the twister disappeared, Fred ran out of the store.

"That's it, buddy!" Fred screamed as he tried to tackle the unknown mutant. The mutant released another twister that sent Fred flying into the air.

"Don't get in the way!" the mutant said.

Suddenly, black smoke came out of nowhere. As the smoke disappeared, a woman dressed in a black leather dress and a black cape stood in the middle of the mall.

"Selene!" the mutant cried out.

"That's enough, Riptide," the woman said. "You've made your point. We have to get back now." The woman raised her hand and black smoke appeared again. When the black smoke disappeared, the mutant and the woman were gone.

"What did you say her name was?" Tessa asked. The students made it safely back to the school, telling the adults what happened.

"Selene," Alison answered. "And she called the guy, Riptide."

"Selene..." Tessa said with a concern voice.

"Who's Selene?" Charles asked.

"A member of the Hellfire Club's London branch," Tessa answered. "She's a powerful mutant with telekinesis and telepathy. I would say a class 4."

"She also made black smoke appear out of nowhere," said Sean.

"Yes, she's also able to teleport when she produces the smoke," said Tessa.

"Who was Riptide then?" Jono asked.

"He must be an associate of Selene's," answered Tessa.

"Why is she here in New York if she's a member of the Hellfire Club's London branch?" asked Erik.

"It must be because the Hellfire Club's lack of presence in America for close to 30 years now," guessed Tessa. "Selene must be here to restart the American branch."

"What is this Hellfire Club?" asked Sean.

"It's an evil organization of mutants that controls the world by meddling into government and corporate affairs," answered Emma. "Erik, Tessa and I used to be members."

"About 30 years ago, Emma, Charles and I defeated the American branch led by Sebastian Shaw," explained Erik. "We killed two members and Sebastian Shaw."

"It's very odd of them to be so public," said Tessa. "They must have a different motive."

"They attacked an anti-mutant activist group," said Raven. "Maybe they're fighting for mutant rights more openly now? Which isn't so bad." Erik smiled at Raven, who smiled back.

"Raven, that is not the answer," said Charles. "Violence is never the answer."

**Present Chapter 24: The X-Men vs. The Brotherhood Round 2**

In the middle of a field, stood Magneto as he watched Psylocke charge his machine using her psychic power being converted into electricity. Mystique stood by Magneto's side, smiling in delight. Magneto then looked into the air and then looked into Mystique's yellow eyes.

"What is it, Erik?" Mystique asked.

"I sense a lot of metal around," said Magneto. "Tanks and airplanes will be approaching us soon."

"We can take care of them," said Mystique.

"Yes, but you must focus on the X-Men," said Magneto. "I sense their X-Jet around."

The X-Jet landed a few miles away from where The Brotherhood were. The X-Men walked out of the jet and were ready for a fight.

"We'll approach carefully and take out anybody who gets in our way," commanded Cyclops. "Once it's safe to do so, I'll blast the machine."

"I'm not going to be much help when it comes to Magneto," said Wolverine.

"That's ok," said Cyclops. "Just help us make sure it's safe before I destroy the machine. Oh, and if we're able to, capture Magneto. Professor X wants us to make sure he isn't killed."

"Scott," said Jean. "Someone's here..."

Suddenly, a long tongue grabbed Jean's ankle and threw her into the air. Toad jumped out from the shadows and kicked Cyclops in the head. Sabretooth roared while he grabbed Wolverine's head and knocked it into the ground. Storm and Angel flew into the air just when Avalanche created an earthquake that made Colossus, Beast and Cannonball fall into a deep crack in the earth. Jean quickly got up and used her telekinesis to stop Toad in the air, while at the same time lifting Colossus, Beast and Cannonball out from the hole. Spiral ran out into the field and began fighting against Colossus, Beast and Cannonball with her six arms. Cyclops got up and released an optic blast at Sabretooth, that sent him flying into the air.

"Thanks," said Wolverine.

"Don't mention it!" said Cyclops. Suddenly, Cannonball was thrown by Spiral towards Cyclops. Cyclops dodged and released an optic blast at Spiral.

Storm flew down to the ground and released a lightning bolt at Spiral. Suddenly, a ball of fire almost hit Storm, but Wolverine pushed her just in time.

"Is it getting too hot for yah?" asked Pyro, who was the one who released the fireball. The sight of Pyro made Angel mad as he recalled a few weeks earlier, when Pryo tried to kill his father by setting his father's car on fire. Angel flew down and confronted the mutant.

"You bastard!" Angel said as he grabbed Pyro's neck. "You almost killed my father!"

"He's still alive," said Pryo. "Chill out."

Avalanche released another earthquake that shook the ground and made everyone trip. Angel accidently let go of Pryo, which allowed Pyro to use his flamethrower against Angel. Cyclops sent an optic blast towards Pryo, which made him stop his flamethrower attack. Angel quickly grabbed Pryo and flew into the air.

Sabretooth appeared and grabbed Storm by the neck. Storm summoned a lightning bolt to hit Sabretooth. Sabretooth released Storm and fainted. Toad jumped around before trying to use his tongue to grab Wolverine's arm. Wolverine quickly dodged the tongue and cut the tip of Toad's tongue with his metal claws. Toad cried in pain and ran away. Spiral got up and tried throw a punch at Colossus. But her hand was stopped by Beast. However, her other five hands punched Beast in the stomach and then aimed for Colossus's face. Jean quickly stopped Spiral with her mind and sent Spiral flying into the air. Avalanche tried to make another earthquake, but Cannonball quickly tackled him and knocked him unconscious before he could.

"Where did Angel go with Pyro?" Storm asked as she looked up into the sky. Jean blinked a few times before realizing what Angel was doing.

"He's going to kill him," Jean said. Suddenly, Pyro's body landed on the ground, killing him when his head hit the earth. Angel descended and cracked his knuckles.

"Let's get going," said Angel.

"This way," said Cyclops as he pointed towards where Magneto was located.

The X-Men left the unconscious bodies of the mutants and the dead body of Pyro out in the field as they made their way to Magneto and his destructive machine.

**Future Story 24: A Drunken Mistake**

Iceman's eyes opened to a blinding light coming from the hotel window. There was something strange about the bed he was sleeping in. His head was pounding and his stomach felt empty but not hungry. He turned to his left to see the sleeping Jubilee with nothing but her bra and underwear on. Jubilee woke up and smiled at Iceman.

"Good morning," said Jubilee.

"Morning..." replied Iceman. Iceman couldn't believe he slept with Jubilee. He wanted to get out of the room and go back to his own hotel room. "I better go."

"Want to get breakfast?" asked Jubilee.

"No, I'm alright," said Iceman as he got out of the bed, looking for his pants and shirt.

"I had fun last night," said Jubilee. Iceman did not respond as he zipped up his pants. Jubilee could sense something was wrong. "Bobby, what's wrong?"

"I'm sorry," responded Iceman. "It's just that...this whole thing was a drunken mistake."

"What?"

"I was drunk...I didn't know...I didn't want..." Jubilee got out of the bed and came over to Iceman. She was fighting back tears as she looked into Bobby's ice-blue eyes.

"That's the excuse you want to give to me?" asked Jubilee in an angry voice.

"I'm sorry," said Iceman. SMACK! Jubilee's hand slapped Bobby across the face. Jubilee stormed into the bathroom and screamed. Iceman walked out of the hotel room with a red hand mark on his left cheek.

In the hospital, Oya was helping Dr. Cecelia Reyes help some mutants that were saved from the Chinese concentration camps. Storm walked in with Cipher and approached Oya.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?" asked Storm.

"I'm busy," replied Oya as she handed a cup of water to one of the patients.

"I brought Aisha here to help Dr. Reyes," said Storm.

"Good," said Cecelia as she handed Cipher a clipboard and pencil. "I need you to write some stuff down for me."

"I can do that," said Cipher.

Storm and Oya walked out of the room and down the hall to a large window. The two mutants looked outside and saw the beautiful sun dancing above the blue ocean waves. Storm looked at Oya's face and saw pain in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," said Storm. "I understand why you're angry."

"I don't think anyone would understand," said Oya. "Abassi took everything away from me."

"But he also gave you everything you have now," said Storm. "I had to take you off the team because your emotions were getting in the way. Your judgement was clouded and I was afraid if you made one mistake, you could lose everything you worked so hard to gain."

"Emotions? Are you kidding me? What do you think this whole war is about? We're all fighting because we're angry." Oya walked away from Storm, leaving Storm to her thoughts.

In city hall, Emma and Mystique were giving Toad orders.

"Why me?" asked Toad.

"Because Multiple Man needs a long overdue break!" Emma yelled. "Now get to the jail and tell him you're going to do his job for the night!"

"Hey, I only came to Utopia to drink my face off and live the good life," cried Toad. Mystique grabbed Toad's collar and lifted him a few feet off the ground in anger.

"The good life?" Mystique repeated. "We're in a war! We all have a role to play and you are being given your role now! Do you know how much you are dishonouring Magneto right now by disobeying our commands?"

"Misty, you got to get over this Magneto thing," said Toad. "He's been dead for 10 years!" Mystique tightened her grip on Toad and began choking him.

"That's enough, Mystique," said Emma. Mystique threw Toad to the ground and walked away.

"She' crazy!" Toad yelled out.

"Get to the jail and do what you're told," Emma said as she walked away.

Toad sat on the stool facing the jail cells. Multiple Man had already left, leaving Toad by himself to watch over the Nigerian prisoners. Toad swung the keys around his finger while yawning in boredom. Toad then took out a bottle of rum and began to take small sips of it.

"I bet you can't drink the whole bottle," said Abassi from the jail cell.

"Oh, yah? Just watch me!" Toad chugged down half of the bottle and then belched. His head was dizzy and his eyes became watery.

"Hey, frog man, if you let us out, we'll give you all the gold in the world," said Abassi.

"N-n-no-no way," said a drunk Toad. "I'm not-t going to fall for that."

"We just want to get out and stretch our legs," said Abassi. "Right men?" The men agreed and began begging for Toad to let them out.

Toad laughed and put the keys in his mouth. Toad then released his tongue and shoved it through the jail cell. At the end of his tongue were the keys, dangling in front of Abassi's face. Abassi tried to grab the keys but Toad quickly retracted his tongue. He then released his tongue again and retracted again, playing a game with the prisoners. Suddenly, Abassi managed to grab Toad's tongue and squeezed it tightly. Abassi then yanked on the tongue, which made Toad let go of the keys and fall off his stool, knocking him out.

A few minutes later, Toad woke up with a throbbing pain on his tongue and the bottle of rum spilt all over the floor. Toad looked at the jail cell and noticed that it was empty. He quickly got up and ran out of the prison and back to city hall. Toad approached Emma, Mystique, Beast and Angel.

"Uh..." Toad couldn't find the words or courage to tell them what happened.

"What is it?" asked Emma. "What did you do?"

"I think I made a mistake," said Toad. "A drunken mistake."

To be continued...


	25. Stories 25

**X-Men: Past, Present, Future**

"Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it," - Helen Keller

**Past Chapter 25: The New Hellfire Club**

"Our favourite place to conduct business was at Devil's Nightclub," said Emma. Charles, Erik, Emma and Tessa walked into the jet's garage.

"Good, hopefully they will be there and we can have peaceful interactions with them," said Charles.

"I doubt that would happen," responded Erik.

"Wait!" Raven yelled out before the adults boarded the X-Jet. "We want to come with you." The young students were wearing their team uniforms and had determine looks on their faces.

"It's too dangerous," said Charles.

"We've been training for something like this," said Shiro. "Let us help you." Charles looked down at the ground and let out a sigh.

"Fine, get on the jet," said Charles. The students cheered and ran onto the jet.

"Doesn't Beast have to come with us to fly the jet?" asked Alison.

"Nope," said Tessa. "He taught me how to fly it."

The jet landed on the rooftop of an apartment building. The X-Men walked off the jet and made their way down into the back of alley of the apartment. They walked through the back alleys until they made to the backdoor of a nightclub. Tessa telekinetically unlocked and open the backdoor and the X-Men made their way in. After a series of mazes they entered a room called "The Red Room." The name was fitting for the room since the furniture was red, it had red curtains, red walls and red floors. Inside the room was Riptide, a Latin woman, a man with white hair and Selene in a black dress and black cape.

"So, you found us," greeted Selene.

"Selene, I haven't seen you in ages," said Tessa.

"Oh, Tessa, not serving Shaw anymore?" asked Selene with mockery. "I always laughed of the thought of you being forced to serve Shaw. He was such a weak man."

"What are you doing here?" asked an enraged Tessa.

"I was assigned with the task to help restart the American Hellfire Club," answered Selene. "I think you all met Riptide. His powers just blow me away." Selene then pointed to the Latin woman. "This is Angel Salvador." The woman revealed her insect like wings as she smiled a devilish smile. Selene then pointed to the man with the white hair. "This is Benedict Kine. He's able to mentally control the nervous system of others. Don't get on his bad side or you'll feel pain like you never felt before."

"Thanks for the introductions, but darling, you're wasting our time," said Emma.

"Oh, Emma," said Selene. "We've only met once haven't we? Such a shame you betrayed us. You were going to be ranked as Queen of the American branch. Shaw asked for your promotion a few years back. Then you went around and killed him."

"Shaw was a horrible man!" Emma yelled.

"Or maybe you're just a horrible woman," said Selene.

"So, you've come to lead the Hellfire Club?" asked Tessa. "We don't want the Hellfire Club back here, so we're going to have to stop you."

"Oh, I'm not the leader," said Selene.

"Then who is?" asked Erik.

"I think you've met him before," Selene said as she turned a chair around to reveal a man sitting in the chair. The man was Jason Wyngaurd, the former member of the Hellfire Club under Sebastian Shaw's control three decades ago. The right side of his face was covered by a mask. He wore a purple suit and a black cape.

"Jason?" Emma asked.

"Impossible!" Erik yelled out. Jason chuckled.

"You thought I died in that explosion didn't you?" Jason said. "Luckily, I didn't. Shaw and Herald didn't survive, but I was strong enough to. I was meant to live because I was meant to lead the new Hellfire Club. I am now the king!"

"What are your intentions here?" Charles asked.

"Well, revenge upon you is one. As well as starting the mutant versus human war that all branches of the Hellfire Club must do...and looking for 'the force'."

"What's the force?" asked Erik.

"The force is something beyond mutant," answered Jason. "Power beyond we can even comprehend." Erik, Charles and Emma looked at Tessa.

"You've been sensing the force haven't you?" asked Selene. "So have I."

"What is it?" asked Tessa.

"We mutants evolved to survive on our planet," explained Selene. "The force is evolving to survive in the universe."

"We'll find the force and use it as a weapon for the war," said Angel.

"The Hellfire Club and mutants will rule the planet," said Riptide.

"Humans and mutants must coexist peacefully," Charles yelled out.

"Impossible! Absolutely ridiculous!" Benedict yelled.

"Enough with this!" Emma cried out. "We won't let you carry on!"

Emma tried to telepathically attack the Hellfire Club but Selene blocked the attack with her own telepathic attack. Emma fell to her knees as she endured the pain in her head. Erik magnetically lifted a table and threw it at Selene. Angel released a ball of fire from her mouth that broke the table before it hit Selene. Azazel teleported next to Angel and punched her in the stomach before teleporting to the other side of the room. Sean screamed at Benedict who covered his ears in pain. Benedict then used his powers to stop Sean from screaming. Alison released a powerful light that was blinding Jason. Tessa used her telekinesis to pin Riptide to a wall. Selene used her telekinesis to stop Fred from charging at her.

Shiro released a fireball at Angel, but missed and hit a curtain instead, which set it on fire. Selene used her powers to clear the fire. She then turned around to see Angel, who began attacking Selene. After a fist fight between the women, Angel transformed into Raven, revealing it was Raven in disguise. The real Angel then punched Tessa, which made her release Riptide from the wall. Riptide then released a twister that caught Tessa, Shiro, Jono and Alison and sent them across the room. Jason then created an illusion that made the X-Men believe they were in the dark. Suddenly, Selene released black smoke and the Hellfire Club teleported away within the smoke.

"What's going on?" Sean yelled out.

"It's an illusion," Charles said. "I'm going to calm everybody's mind. Just relax." After releasing everyone's mind from the illusion, the X-Men found themselves in the Red Room alone.

"They got away!" Fred said.

"It's okay," said Charles. "I think tonight was a successful night. Let's go home."

**Present Chapter 25: Stopping Magneto**

The X-Men approached the machine that Magneto was in. The machine was giving off a radiating light that blinded the X-Men as they got closer. Suddenly, a magnetic wave coming from the machine pushed the X-Men a few feet back.

"The machine is amplifying his power!" Beast stated.

"How do we stop it?" asked Cannonball.

"I don't think we can," said Beast.

"I'm going to blast it!" yelled Cyclops.

"No, that could kill him!" Beast said. "The Professor wants him alive."

Suddenly, Mystique appeared from the shadows and flipped Jean onto her back and kicked Wolverine. Beast tried to grab Mystique, but missed. Mystique then kicked Beast and jumped over Colossus and landed on Cyclops' back and pushed him onto the ground.

Storm flew into the sky and began summoning a powerful wind. However, a power blast of psychic energy hit her and sent her flying towards the ground. Cannonball caught Storm right before she hit the ground. Psylocke appeared and released another psychic blast at the X-Men. The blast hit Colossus, Cannonball, Storm and Angel.

"We won't let you get in our way!" Psylocke yelled. She tried to release another attack but nothing appeared.

"You're weak from powering the machine!" Beast yelled out. Beast then tried to grab Psylocke, but Mystique appeared and kicked Beast again. Jean then used her telekinesis to lift Psylocke and Mystique off the ground.

"I may not have psychic energy but I can use others!" Psylocke yelled out. Suddenly, Jean's psychic energy was being absorbed by Psylocke. Jean released her hold on Mystique and Psylocke and fell to her knees. Psylocke then released a powerful blast of energy that hit Wolverine, Cyclops and Beast. Colossus ran towards Psylocke, but was stopped by her telekinesis. She then released another blast of energy that hit Colossus and Angel and sent them flying several feet into the air. "I've never felt such powerful psychic energy before! This power is amazing!"

Suddenly, Magneto's machine emitted a powerful light. Tanks and fighter jets approached, and Magneto could sense the metal coming closer. Magneto released a wave of magnetic energy that destroyed a row of tanks approaching and sent fighter jets crashing towards the ground.

Back on the field, Mystique had transformed into Wolverine and was engaging in hand-to-hand combat with Storm and Wolverine. Storm kept confusing Wolverine for Mystique and would accidently attack the real Wolverine.

Cyclops released an optic blast at Psylocke who counter attack with a psychic blast. Jean then tried to subdue Psylocke. Jean felt her power growing stronger as she attacked Psylocke with psychic energy. Psylocke screamed in pain and then lost all the power she absorbed from Jean.

Mystique flipped Wolverine on his back and then tackled Storm to the ground. Mystique got up and was about to hit a final blow to Storm but was grabbed by Beast and thrown into the air. Angel caught the flying Mystique and threw her across the field.

"We have to go stop Magneto now!" Cyclops yelled out. The X-Men ran over to the machine but were blast with another magnetic wave.

"We can't get close!" Storm yelled out.

"I'm going to blast it!" Cyclops screamed.

"Scott, wait!" said Jean. "I think I can absorb the psychic energy that's powering the machine."

"Are you sure you can do that?" Angel asked.

"I have to try," said Jean. Jean then focused her power and began absorbing the psychic energy from the machine. The machine began to slowly shut down before the light from the machine completely turned off. Magneto fell to his knees and was gasping for air.

"You did it!" Colossus yelled. The X-Men approached the drained Magneto.

"When will you people ever learn that I'm trying to help mutantkind?" Magneto said under his breath.

"It's over, Magneto," said Cyclops.

"No, it's not," said Magneto as he stretched out his arms. The metal parts in the machine broke off and was thrown at the X-Men. Cyclops used his optics blast to hit the parts. Then Angel punched Magneto, knocking him out.

The elderly mutant laid on the ground, motionless as the X-Men approached his body. Military officials appeared as the X-Men looked over the unconscious body of their greatest enemy.

**Future Chapter 25: Abassi's Terror**

"We have an emergency!" Emma said to the X-Men. "Toad accidently released the Nigerian prisoners. They are now somewhere on the island."

"Shit!" Wolverine yelled out. "Who gave that idiot the key!"

"That doesn't matter now," said Mystique. "We need to find them and put them back in jail!"

"We'll pair up and look around the island," said Storm.

"Good idea," said Angel.

"We have to be careful," warned Emma. "These men are angry and they'll want their revenge."

Polaris and Sunspot walked on the downtown streets looking for the escaped prisoners. Polaris and Sunspot have never been together, but they had a mutual understanding and respect for each other because of their respective lovers' friendship.

"Havok thinks Northstar is angry at him," said Polaris.

"Strange, Northstar hasn't said anything about being angry at Havok," replied Sunspot.

"I thought so," stated Polaris. "Alex always thinks Jean-Paul is mad at him for some reason. He's more concern about how he feels than how I feel!"

"Trouble with the relationship?" Sunspot asked. Suddenly, a shadow from the alley caught Sunspot's eye. Sunspot ran over to the alley, only to be hit by a trash can. One of the escaped prisoners ran out of the alley and tried to punch Sunspot. Polaris used her magnetic power to trap the prisoner in the trash can.

On the highest cliff of Utopia, Quill and Cipher were chasing two prisoners. The prisoners stopped at the cliff and turned around.

"Nowhere else to run," said Quill. "Now come with us and we'll take you back to the prison."

"You think we want to stay here?" responded one of the prisoners. "We'd rather die!" The prisoners then turned around and jumped off the cliff, falling to their deaths.

"Quill!" Cipher yelled out. "Don't talk to them, just grab them!"

"Sorry!"

Rogue released her hand on the faces of two prisoners, allowing their drained bodies to fall to the ground. Rogue put back on her gloves and looked over at her husband, Gambit who was smoking a cigarette.

"Good job, honey," said Gambit.

"You know I don't like to be called that," said Rogue.

"Sorry," said Gambit. "I just think you're sweet as honey." Suddenly, they heard a scream from a few blocks away.

Rogue and Gambit ran towards the scream to see the body of a Chinese mutant lying on the ground in a pool of blood. Dust and Multiple Man were trying to attend to the victim.

"It was Abassi!" Dust said as Oya, Nightcrawler, Shadowcat and Hellion appeared. "He stabbed her and ran away!"

"That bastard!" Oya yelled. "I'm going to kill him!" Oya ran with no clear direction or clue where Abassi was.

"Idie, wait!" Multiple Man yelled as he followed the angry mutant.

"She's dead," Dust said as she took the victim's pulse.

"Some of the prisoners are back in the cell," stated Hellion.

"Abassi is the real one we have to capture," said Nightcrawler. "He's truly a monster."

"You guys!" Shadowcat yelled. "Don't you think some of us should follow Oya. She might do something crazy!"

Multiple Man turned the corner and realized he lost sight of Oya. Suddenly, two of the prisoners came out from the shadows and began beating up Multiple Man. A spurt of lava came from the sky and killed two of the men. Then a jolt of electricity electrocuted the remaining prisoner to death. Magma and Jubilee appeared and tried to help Multiple Man who was severely beaten.

"Jamie!" Magma cried out. "Stay with us. We'll get you the hospital."

"Find, Oya," said Multiple Man.

Storm and Angel were in the sky, trying to find more prisoners. Wind Dancer flew up into the sky to talk to them.

"Bobby and I just captured two more prisoners," said Wind Dancer.

"Good," said Angel. "Storm and I will keep looking for Abassi."

"I heard Oya was chasing him," said Wind Dancer.

"What?" Storm said in shocked. "We can't let her do anything crazy!" Storm then saw Oya on the ground chasing Abassi into the woods. "There they are!" The three flying mutants quickly swooped down into the woods.

Oya stood facing her Abassi who was holding a knife stained with the Chinese mutant's blood on the blade. Oya was furious and she was unable to control her emotions.

"It has come down to me and you!" said Abassi. "I will slit your throat and you will die knowing that I have won."

"You are wrong," said Oya. "I am the one who will win. You will die in my hands and I will be free from your grip on me."

"You will never be free, Idie. I am the one who took your virginity, your mother and everything you loved. Even if you managed to kill me, I will continue to take the things you love away from you."

"You are a monster!" Oya screamed and released her powers.

Half of the area caught on fire and the other half became frozen in ice. Abassi jumped onto the ice side and slipped on the ground. Oya grabbed Abassi's neck and released her power on him. Half of Abassi's body was burning hot while the other half freezing cold. Storm, Angel and Wind Dancer appeared, only to see the angry Oya killing Abassi.

"Oya, no!" Storm screamed. But it was too late. Abassi was killed and thrown onto the ground. The temperature returned to normal as Oya looked at Abassi's dead body and smiled.

The mutants returned to city hall, where Emma and Mystique addressed the issues.

"Some of them died," said Emma. "But we have managed to returned seven back to the prison. Unfortunately, we lost one of the mutants from the concentration camps. She was a mother of two toddlers."

"What about Jamie?" Iceman asked.

"Magma and Jubilee are at the hospital right now," said Emma. "Jamie is in serious conditions right now."

Out in the hall way, Storm and Oya were talking.

"I was afraid this would happen," said Storm.

"I was afraid too," said Oya. "But now I am happy. I am free." Emma appeared with a disappointed look on her face.

"She's learning," Storm said trying to protect Oya.

"I just telepathically asked Dr. Reyes how Jamie was doing," said Emma.

"And?" Oya asked.

"He's died from his injuries."

Oya's heart sank as she collapsed to her knees. Jamie, her classmate and friend for years is now dead. All Oya could think about was the voice of Abassi telling her that "he will continue to take away everything she loves." Oya cried and cried as Storm tried to comfort her. Oya's tears would not stop flowing and continued to flow throughout the whole night.

To be continued...


	26. Stories 26

**X-Men: Past, Present, Future**

"My haters are my motivators," - Ellen DeGeneres

**Past Chapter 26: An Unbreakable Mind**

Charles and Moira stood in the kitchen, drinking their coffee in silence. The morning sun was breaking through the window and warming up the kitchen floor. The couple had been having communication issues with their relationship and with the threat of the New Hellfire Club, the issues have become real problems.

"When do you have to teach class?" asked Charles.

"Not until 1 today," answered Moira. Another awkward silence fell upon the couple.

"Look, Moira, we have to talk," said Charles.

"About what?" asked Moira.

"You and I, we...we haven't been..." Charles couldn't find the words express what he was feeling.

"You know sometimes I wish I was the mutant," said Moira. "So, I can read your mind and figure out what you wanted..."

Erik, Emma and Tessa walked into the kitchen.

"We need to talk about the Hellfire Club," said Tessa.

"They will be a huge threat to our cause of mutant and human peace," said Emma. "Especially, if they want to start a war."

"Perhaps war is the only way to achieve peace?" suggested Erik.

"Erik, don't say that," responded Charles.

"It's what I believe, Charles, deal with it," said Erik.

"Focus, boys!" yelled Emma. "Now, we have to learn more about this 'force' they keep talking about. If it's as powerful as they say it is, then we can easily lose the battle and then they'll start a war."

"Why don't you use Cerebro?" asked Moira.

"We tried hunting the Hellfire Club down with Cerebro, but no luck," said Charles. "Selene must be blocking my telepathy with her own psychic force field."

"She's even more powerful than Emma," said Tessa.

"I didn't mean to look for the Hellfire Club," said Moira. "But to look for the 'force'."

The group made their way to the basement, with Hank joining them in Cerebro.

"Now, the machine is only for telepaths," said Hank. "But you do have some psychic ability with your telekinesis, so you might be able to use it to amplify your detection powers."

"It's worth a shot," said Tessa.

"But it's risky," said Hank. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes," said Tessa as she put on the helmet.

The machine powered on and the sphere room began to spin. The metal plates on the wall grew in size and then shrunk. The lights flashed over and over and suddenly, the machine turned off. Tessa fell to her knees and was severely weakened. Charles and Hank assisted her up on her feet.

"It didn't work," said Charles.

"Her mind is too fragile," said Hank. "We can't have her doing it again or it could kill her."

"I'll take her to her room," said Emma as she held onto Tessa.

Charles and Moira went back upstairs to check on the students, while Emma helped Tessa lay on her bed. Hank had pulled Erik into his lab to show him something...

"What is it?" asked Erik as Hank handed him a red helmet.

"It's what you've asked for," said Hank. "Something to block telepathy."

"This is going to make me look foolish," said Erik.

"But it will protect you from anybody from entering your mind," said Hank. "Your mind is unbreakable."

"How do you know if it works?"

"Let's test it out. In about 30 seconds, it would be time for lunch...Charles would try to contact everybody to tell them that lunch is ready."

After a moment of silence, Hank smiled at Erik.

"What?" asked Erik.

"Did you hear that?" asked Hank.

"Hear what?"

"Exactly. Charles just said we were going to have tuna sandwiches."

"Amazing...he didn't go into my mind at all! This is amazing...my mind...my mind is unbreakable."

**Present Chapter 26: A Moment of Peace**

It had been three days since the events in the middle of America. Magneto, Psylocke, Sabretooth and Avalanche had been arrested and put into mutant prisons. The media had gone insane with the story and the mutant school was in the centre of it all.

"I have to do three more interviews today," said Angel. "PR is tough."

"Don't act like you don't like being on camera," said Colossus. "Mr. Pretty boy always wanting the spotlight."

Jean-Paul walked into the weight room to see Alex lifting dumbbells by himself. Jean-Paul walked over to Alex with a friendly smile.

"Hey, Alex. I'm glad you're here, I can use a spotter," said Jean-Paul. Alex put down the dumbbells but couldn't look at Jean-Paul in the eyes.

"Why don't you ask Roberto to spot you?" asked Alex.

"He's doing English homework right now," said Jean-Paul. "What's wrong with you lately?"

"Nothing is wrong with me."

"Yes there is. You don't ever hang out in our bedroom. You never sit with me at lunch or dinner. This is the first time we talked in two weeks, which is odd because we're roommates!"

"Stop yelling at me!" said Alex as he looked at Jean-Paul in the eyes.

"I'm not yelling at you," said Jean-Paul. "Just tell me what's wrong."

"Look, you're my best friend...and I always accepted you being...gay...but I guess it never hit me until you started dating Rob...that...you were...really gay."

"Really gay?"

"Not like super-gay, but like...gay for real."

"Well, I'm sorry, Alex but I'm gay for real. Just deal with it."

"Oh, I will deal with it!"

"Ok, fine, then do it!"

"I'll show you! I'll show you how well I deal with it!" Alex then walked out of the gym.

"Where are you going?"

In the living room, Jean and Cyclops were watching the news. Senator Kelly was on the television screen, giving a speech to a crowd.

"Can you believe that he used Magneto's terrorist threat to add more fuel to his campaign, but completely ignore the fact that the good mutants saved the country from total disaster?" asked Cyclops to Jean.

"Oh, I can totally believe it," said Jean. "This man is total scum, but his voter approval rating has gone up by 12%!"

"It's total bullshit!"

"Scott, calm down," said Jean. "Magneto is in prison now. We can relax and enjoy the moment of peace we have."

"How long before the moment is over?"

In Storm's office, Sooraya and Storm had been having a counselling session. Sooraya had been visiting Storm for counselling sessions for three weeks now.

"The bullying is becoming harder and harder to deal with," said Sooraya.

"If you would only tell me who you're talking about these past few weeks, I could probably help," said Storm.

"I don't want to be a rat," said Sooraya. "I don't want them to hate me more."

"You're giving them a lot of power by being afraid of whoever these people are," said Storm.

"Isn't it enough to come to you and talk about the problem?"

"Yes, but how do you want me to deal with the problem. Aren't you looking for a solution?"

"Yes..."

"Then tell me who they are," said Storm. "It will set you free." Sooraya looked out the window, to see the beautiful sun shining through. She took a deep a breath and then opened her mouth.

"Jeanne-Marie, Sofia and Kitty."

Back in the living room, Jean's mind was beginning to spin. She was sensing something bad was going to happen.

"What is it, baby?" asked Cyclops.

"You know when you asked me when the moment of peace was going to be over?"

"Yeah."

"Well, it's going to be over now."

Out in the main hallway, Sooraya was stopped by Jeanne-Marie, Sofia and Kitty. Ruckus was happening in the hallway that attracted the other students.

"You went to Storm and told her about us?" asked Jeanne-Marie to Sooraya. "What's wrong with you?"

"How did you find out?" asked Sooraya.

"Sofia noticed that you were going to Storm's office a lot so Kitty spied on your meeting with her today," said Jeanne-Marie. "You are such a loser! I can't believe you're making Storm think we're some bullies."

"You are bullies!" yelled Sooraya. "You're cruel, vicious...mean girls!"

Jean and Cyclops entered the hall and stood between Sooraya and the girls.

"What is going on here?" asked Cyclops.

"What's going on is Sooraya is a total loser who can't fight her own battles!" yelled Jeanne-Marie.

More students gathered. Some stood up on the stairs looking down on the scene. Wolverine, Colossus, Beast and Storm came into the hallway to see what was going on.

"What is all the noise about?" asked Beast.

"I know what this is all about," said Storm. "Girls, that's enough."

"Well, it's not fair that she went behind our backs and talked about us!" said Kitty. "If she had a problem with us then she should have told us!"

"Now, the whole school thinks we're horrible!" yelled Sofia.

"That's not true," said Storm.

"Actually, it is..." said Amara from the staircase.

"What?" asked Sofia. "You actually think we're horrible?"

"Well, you've been saying so many means things about Sooraya," said Amara. "Wouldn't that make you three, horrible?"

"Well, how horrible are we compared to you?" asked Jeanne-Marie.

"What do you mean?" asked Amara.

"You've been dating Max and spending all your time with him and ignoring your best friend, Jubilee!" yelled Jeanne-Marie. "She even told us that she thinks you're boyfriend obsessed and addicted to Max!"

"I told you to keep it a secret, you bitch!" yelled Jubilee from the second floor.

"Whoa, language!" yelled Cyclops.

"I can't believe you said that about me!" yelled Amara to Jubilee.

Jubilee ran down the stairs and ran up to Jeanne-Marie's face. Storm and Jean had to pull the furious girls away.

"You shouldn't talk about your best friend behind her back," said Kitty.

"Kitty, that's enough," said Colossus.

"Yeah, well at least I didn't kiss a teacher!" yelled Jubilee. Everybody gasped.

"What?" asked Julian. "Kitty kissed a teacher?"

"Who was it?" asked Alisha.

"It was Colossus!" Jubilee yelled out. Everybody gasped again. The adults looked at Colossus, whose face was turning red.

"You stupid bitch!" Kitty yelled.

"You're the stupid bitch!" Jubilee yelled back.

"Is this true?" asked Wolverine to Colossus.

"No more of this information telling!" yelled Storm.

"Oh, but I have a lot more!" said Kitty. "Jubilee wet the bed five night ago!"

"Oh my God!" yelled Jubilee. "Well, Kitty and Sofia secretly talk about Jeanne-Marie behind her back and says she's really a man!"

"Bitch!" yelled Sofia.

"You two are the bitches!" yelled Jeanne-Marie. "Everybody, Sofia had diarrhea on the third floor bathroom!"

"Enough!" yelled Cyclops and Jean.

"Jeanne-Marie and her brother kissed when they were 11!" yelled Sofia.

"Julian has a crush on Sofia!" yelled Jeanne-Marie.

"Hey!" Julian yelled from the second floor.

"Everybody already knows that, bro," said Max who laughed at the stunned Julian.

"Yeah, well does everybody know that you and Amara had sex in the art room on Valentine's Day?" said Julian.

"The art room?" Wolverine yelled out. "Horn dogs!"

"Hey!" yelled Max. "Well...Wolverine and Storm are having sex!"

"Max!" yelled Storm.

"So, it's true!" Cyclops said.

"I caught Max masturbating in the locker room!" yelled Wolverine.

"What?" Amara screamed.

"Wolverine, don't be a part of it!" Jean yelled.

"Armando has a crush on Idie!" yelled Jamie.

"What is wrong with you, bro?" Armando said to Jamie.

"Sorry, I got caught up in the hype..." said Jamie.

"Well, Jamie watches a lot of porn!" said Armando.

"Well, so does Thomas!" yelled Jamie.

"Aisha wears a wig!" yelled Thomas.

"Melody likes to eat dog treats!" yelled Aisha.

"Victor is gay and has a crush on Jean-Paul!" yelled Melody.

"Well, Chris once snuck into Kitty's room and stole her panties!" yelled Victor.

"You took my panties!" Kitty screamed.

"Only after Roberto dared me to!" yelled Chris.

"It was before I was gay!" yelled Roberto.

Suddenly, Alex ran into the hallway and Jean-Paul followed him.

"Everybody, I have an announcement!" yelled Alex.

"Oh, no!" Jean-Paul yelled.

"I'm ok with Jean-Paul's homosexuality!" Alex screamed. "I love Jean-Paul and I love that he is happy with Roberto. I will support him and stand up for him! He's my best friend and there's nothing that is going to change that."

Everybody fell silent. Everybody had anger towards each other but Alex's words made everybody smiled. Suddenly, the students began to clap as Alex and Jean-Paul hugged each other. Sooraya looked in Jeanne-Marie's eyes. There was still anger and resentment amongst the girls.

**Future Chapter 26: Back to America**

The X-Men walked out of the cemetery with the thoughts of Jamie's death and the Chinese mutant on their mind. Death was an expected thing during war times, but it was still difficult for many to grasp. Oya and Nightcrawler were alone, still standing over Jamie's grave.

"You two were good friends?" asked Nightcrawler.

"Really good friends," said Oya. "Now his death is on my shoulders."

"Don't say that," said Nightcrawler. "Sometimes God ends life short. It might not be the way you would want someone's life to end, but it is God's plan."

"I don't like his plan," replied Oya.

"You don't have to like it...just have faith in it."

In the city hall, Mystique, Emma, Beast and Angel were discussing the next set of plans.

"There's two new revolutions in Ireland, Morocco and Uganda," said Angel. "And there's an increase in riots in America."

"How bad is it?" asked Beast.

"It's getting violent on both sides," said Angel.

"Perhaps, we need some of our mutants over there?" said Mystique.

"To help lead the riots?" asked Emma. "I like that idea. Would you like to lead it?"

"I haven't been back to Utopia for more than a month and you already want to send me back to the U.S?" asked Mystique.

"Well, if you don't want to do it then I'm sure we can find someone else," said Emma.

"I'll do it...but I want a good team to go with me," said Mystique.

"Fine...but only three," said Emma. "You'll find more mutants back in the U.S who will join you in the war."

At the local bar, the mutants were once again enjoying drinks and eating. Sunspot and Polaris decided to force their boyfriends to eat with them, to finally end the awkwardness.

"We should order another plate of fries," said Polaris.

"This time sweet potato fries!" said Roberto.

"You two became friends fast," said Havok.

"Is there something wrong with us being friends?" asked Polaris.

"No, not at all," said Havok.

"Is there something going on?" asked Northstar. "You two were very insistent on all four of us eating together."

"Lately, we've been wondering if you and Havok were in a fight," said Sunspot.

"We just wanted to help mend the friendship," said Polaris. Northstar and Havok looked at each other and then began to laugh.

"What?" asked a confused Sunspot.

"Did you hear that, Alex?" asked Northstar. "Our partners want to help our friendship!"

"This is just hilarious!" said Havok. "Don't worry you two, me and JP are not in a fight."

"Nothing gets between us!" said Northstar.

"Well, that's a relief," said Polaris. "Then why did you tell me that you thought Jean-Paul was mad at you?"

"That's just because I kissed him," said Alex. "He hates it when I do that."

"You kissed him?" screamed Sunspot and Polaris.

"Alex, you idiot!" said Northstar.

Suddenly, Emma and Mystique walked into the bar. The whole bar fell silent. It was unusual to see Emma in the bar.

"We have an announcement!" said Emma. "We want to send a small team to America to help defend the mutants back home."

"I will be leading this team," said Mystique. "Who would like to volunteer?" Jubilee jumped off her seat.

"I want to go back to the U.S!" yelled out Jubilee.

"Good, who else?" asked Mystique. Havok grabbed Northstar's hand and raised it.

"JP and I want to go!" said Havok.

"Alex!" yelled Polaris.

"You can come too!" said Havok.

"Actually, I'm only taking three," said Mystique.

"No way am I letting you take my boyfriend to a different country!" yelled Sunspot.

"And I'm not letting you go to a different country so you can kiss him!" yelled Polaris.

The group of mutants began to argue with each other. Emma started to get annoyed with the mutants.

"You four can go because I don't want you here giving me a headache!" yelled Emma. "Mystique, you got a team of 5 now!"

To be continued...


	27. Stories 27

**X-Men: Past, Present, Future**

"Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves," - Abraham Lincoln

**Past Chapter 27: Dangerous Times**

The car door opened and the X-Men walked out to see people gathered around a small part of the park. A speech was being made by Councilman Robert Kelly. The X-Men's plans were to attend the speech to keep an eye out for The Hellfire Club.

"Are you sure they'll be here?" asked Erik.

"They have to be," answered Charles. "Councilman Kelly is going to announce the new mutant medical laws."

"Oh yes, the law where mutants must pay twice as much for anything medical related," said Erik. "Are you sure we don't want the Hellfire Club to do as the please?"

"It's better to keep things peaceful," said Charles.

Robert Kelly came to the podium and waited for the applause to stop. Erik, Charles, Emma, Tessa, Hank and Moira were in the audience, awaiting for his speech. The students decided to spread out in order to cover more space in the park.

"Good afternoon," Kelly greeted the audience. "Although, the sun may shine on this beautiful day, we are living in dangerous times. More and more mutants are making their presence known. Some of these mutants claim no harm, while other mutants openly threaten the well-being of this city and of this nation. This is why today, I'm proud to introduce a new law for..."

On the rooftop of a nearby apartment building stood Angel Salvador. Her black hair blew in the wind and her insect-like wings stuck out from her back. Angel was waiting for the right moment to attack the councilman. Unknown to her, the X-Men were standing behind her.

"Nice view?" asked Azazel. Angel turned around, surprised by the sight of the young mutants.

"You scared me!" Angel yelled.

"Good," said Sean. "Now, come down with us quietly."

"Yeah, right," said Angel.

"Why do you even want to start a war?" asked Jono. "What's the point?"

"We have to fight for our freedom," said Angel. "Freedom comes after war."

"You're wrong," said Shiro.

"Well, I can't be all wrong because some of you look like you agree with me," said Angel. Angel looked in the eyes of Raven, Azazel and Fred. "When the war comes, you better choose the right side. And the right side is not with the homo sapiens."

"It's not with you either," said Alison. Angel smiled and then turned around.

"We're living in dangerous times, you know? And it's only going to get more dangerous...starting with the assassination of Kelly," said Angel. Angel drew in air and was about to release a fireball from her mouth.

Suddenly, Azazel teleported next to Angel and kicked her in the face. Angel flew in the sky and started attacking the X-Men with fireballs. Alison released a bunch of flashing lights towards Angel, which blinded her and made her fall. Fred picked Angel up with one hand, but Angel quickly kicked Fred in the stomach. Angel tried to run to the other side of the rooftop, but was stopped by Raven. The two women began martial arts fighting. After a few punches and kicks, Angel pinned Mystique onto the ground. Sean went behind Angel and screamed in her ear, knocking her out unconscious.

Angel woke up several hours later, inside the X-Men's medical room. Angel was strapped down on a medical table. Hank, Erik, Charles, Emma, Tessa and Moira were standing above her.

"Had a good sleep?" asked Erik.

"My ears are still ringing," said Angel.

"Yeah, Sean's power could do that to you," said Moira.

"What do you want from me?" asked Angel.

"Information," said Emma. "Where is the Hellfire Club?"

"I won't tell you," said Angel.

"Then we won't let you leave," said Charles.

"They'll come for me you know," said Angel. "Then you'll be in trouble."

**Present Chapter 27: Old Friends**

_(This chapter takes place at the same time Present Chapter 26: A Moment of Peace takes place.)_

Cannonball was driving the car, while Professor X sat in the passenger seat and Lorna and Idie sat in the back. They were driving to the mutant prison facility to visit Magneto in jail.

"Thank you for coming with me, Idie," said Lorna.

"No problem," said Idie. "It's nice to get out of the school once in awhile."

"Are you comfortable with seeing your father?" asked Charles. "Because you don't have to if you don't want to."

"I'll keep thinking about it," said Lorna.

After an hour, Cannonball parked the car and got the Professor in his wheel chair. Idie was about to get out of the car, but Lorna grabbed her hand and pulled her back in.

"Wait," said Lorna. "I don't think I can go through with this. I don't want to see him."

"Are you sure?" asked Idie.

"Yeah," said Lorna.

"You two can wait in the car for us then," said Professor X. Cannonball and the professor entered the building, leaving Lorna and Idie in the car.

"Are you ok?" asked Idie.

"Yeah," said Lorna. "It's just too much for me right now. I'm sorry for dragging you along for nothing."

"It's alright," said Idie. "I'm sure there's nothing going on at the school that's exciting."

Inside the prison, Cannonball and Professor X made their way to a special area made out of all plastic. The prison was built by the government years ago anticipating for the capture of Magneto. Professor X checked in and traded his wheel chair for a plastic wheel chair. Cannonball wheeled the professor into a security check point. The two then made their way across a plastic tube that connected into a plastic jail cell that hung over a giant empty space. Magneto sat on a plastic chair, smiling at his old friend.

"Hello, Charles," said Magneto.

"Hello, Erik," said Charles. "This is Cannonball."

"Ah, yes, the mutant who chose me over you back in Alberta," said Magneto. "How is life with the X-Men?"

"Great, actually," answered Cannonball. "Much better than it would be if I went with you."

"Why are you here, Charles?" asked Magneto.

"To visit my old friend," said Professor X. "And to look for answers."

"Answers to what?" asked Magneto.

"To hope," said Professor X. Cannonball walked out of the jail, leaving Magneto and the Professor alone.

Magneto pulled out a plastic chess set and the two men began to play chess.

"Do you plan on putting me into rehab?" asked Erik. "To teach me. To brainwash me your ideologies?"

"I wouldn't waste the tax payers money on something like that," said Professor X. "And you know I would never take away your freedom."

"But you could," said Magneto. "You could just go into my head right now and change everything."

"I wouldn't do that."

"I'm not wearing my helmet."

"Doesn't matter...I would never enter your mind and change it."

"That's why you're weak, Charles. That is also, why you are losing the war."

"I believe you are the one that is in jail."

"Just kill me now, Charles. Prevent more tragedies from happening."

"I could never kill you, Erik. Besides, you seem pretty safe confined in here."

"You know this plastic prison won't hold me forever. I will get out and then you will regret not killing me."

"I would regret killing you."

"Such a good friend you are, Charles. Such a good and weak friend. There's a war coming and I intend to be leading it."

"And I intend to stop you, old friend."

**Future Chapter 27: The Unexpected**

The X-Jet had been in the air for 2 hours, heading back to New York, where Mystique, Northstar, Havok, Polaris and Sunspot would assist the revolutions in America. Beast was flying the jet, accompany the group for awhile before heading back to Utopia.

"Thanks again, Hank," said Mystique.

"No problem," said Beast. "We haven't worked together in so long."

"It's funny how things can change," said Mystique. "We can be friends, enemies and then friends again."

"Quite unexpected," replied Beast.

In the back of the jet, there was tension between Northstar, Havok, Polaris and Sunspot. The couples were bickering over trust issues.

"I can't believe you blurted that out," said Northstar. "Learn to keep your mouth shut."

"So, you weren't ever going to tell me that Alex kissed you then?" asked Sunspot.

"I don't think I should tell you anything that will make you angry," replied Northstar.

"Not telling me will make me angry," said Sunspot.

"Just get over it already," said Havok.

"He has a right to be mad!" yelled Polaris. "And so do I. It's bad enough you talk about Northstar all the time. But now you're kissing him behind my back."

"It was one kiss and it didn't mean anything," said Havok.

"If it doesn't mean anything, then why kiss him in the first place?" asked Polaris with attitude.

Mystique, was tired of the fighting so she moved to the back of the jet to scold the mutants. The four mutants fell silent when they saw the angry look on Mystique's face.

"We're in a war right now, and any day, we can be thrown into battle," said Mystique. "I don't want to be babysitting a bunch of idiots who fight over stupid shit."

"I told you it's stupid," said Havok.

"Havok, be quiet!" yelled Mystique. "You have to expect the unexpected. Anything can happen at anytime, anywhere. This means you have to stay focus!"

"Sorry," said Northstar. "We promise to be more civil."

"Good," said Mystique. "Now, we'll be heading to Emma's mansion in about half an hour. She gave us permission to use her house as the main base for American affairs."

"What's the next move when we get there?" asked Sunspot.

"Recruit more mutants," said Mystique. "I have a list of mutants that are still in America that may join us. Some of the mutants used to be former students of Xavier."

The jet landed on the lawn of Emma's mansion. The mutants walked out of the jet and approached the mansion doors. Beast realized the door was not locked as he walked into the mansion.

"That's strange," said Beast.

"What is?" asked Polaris.

"The door wasn't locked," said Beast. "We haven't been here for months..."

Suddenly, Beast's body was flung to the other side of the room and pinned on a wall. Polaris was thrown in the air and pinned to the ceiling. Mystique and Havok were pushed to the ground, while Northstar and Sunspot were thrown onto another wall. A woman walked down the stairs, cackling at the sight of the mutants unable to move. The woman was Madelyne.

"Back so soon from Utopia?" asked Madelyne.

"What the hell are you doing here?" yelled Beast.

"Well, after you rudely wrecked my plans back in London and left me to suffer in pain," answered Madelyne "I've decided to come back to America to seek my revenge. But I just got here yesterday, and found no one. After using the Cerebro machine that Emma has, I found out all of you went to Utopia."

Madelyne made a swooping motion with her hand and all the mutants were positioned into a line in front of Madelyne.

"However, I had some time to think of a way to get my revenge on Cyclops," said Madelyne. "Who should have just went along with my plans to begin with."

Madelyne used her telekinesis to drag the mutants to the lower levels of the mansion. She eventually forced them into Cerebro.

"I'm going to kill Cyclops using Cerebro," said Madelyne. "And you're going to watch." Madelyne put on the helmet and powered on the machine. "The beauty of this plan, is that he'll never expect it."

To be continued...


	28. Stories 28

**X-Men: Past, Present, Future**

"God says we need to love our enemies. It hard to do." - Aibileen Clark, The Help.

**Past Chapter 28: The Dark Side**

Angel Salvador struggled to free herself from her straps that confided her to the medical table. After a while, she gave up and decided it would be best to sleep.

"Giving up?" asked Erik as he and Hank walked into the medical room.

"I'll just sleep until they get here to save me," replied Angel.

"It's been four hours," said Erik. "They're not coming at all."

"Wait, it's been four hours?" asked Hank. "Crap, I didn't get to eat dinner...it's already 11!"

"Why don't you go eat something and I'll watch over her," suggested Erik.

"Good idea," said Hank as he took off his lab coat. "I hope there's still some of Moira's lasagna left."

Hank exited the medical room, leaving Erik alone with Angel. Erik looked down at the table to see the beautiful Latina with her eyes closed.

"Are you going to stare at me while I sleep?" asked Angel as she opened her eyes.

"Does it hurt when your wings come out?" asked Erik.

"No," said Angel. "Just feels odd...luckily they can retract back into my body. Let's me be normal looking...unlike your blue furry friend."

"Wouldn't it be great to live in a world where you don't have to be afraid to be yourself?" asked Erik.

"It would be," said Angel. "That's what we're fighting for. Isn't it also what you're fighting for?"

"Yes," said Erik. "But through different means. This is a school."

"This is a school?"

"You're in the lower levels of the school right now. We have some young mutants here who we want to teach how to hone their powers, while we try to fight for acceptance and to live peacefully among the humans. We call ourselves the X-Men."

"X-Men? I like the teaching them how to hone their powers part...but I don't agree with the peace with the humans."

"I don't agree either."

Angel looked into Erik's eyes and smiled. She could sense there was something dark within Erik. An urge to do things that goes beyond what others have told him.

"There's a dark side to you, isn't there?" asked Angel.

"What do you mean?" asked Erik.

"You want the same things The Hellfire Club is doing," replied Angel. "You want to not only show the humans that we are the dominant species, but also to prove it. Feed into that dark side. Let out the real you."

Erik smiled as he took a seat. He put his hands to his face and took slow breaths. He then raised his left hand towards Angel. Suddenly, the straps holding Angel down loosened. Angel squirmed a bit before setting herself free. Angel jumped off the table and ran towards the door. She quickly stopped and looked over at Erik.

"Thank you," said Angel as she ran out of the room.

Angel ran out in the hall but was confused on where to go. She turned to her left and ran down the hall. She was faced with a giant round door. Suddenly, the door opened and Angel ran through it. Angel had accidently ran into Cerebro. Erik walked into the room and looked at the confused Angel.

"What is this place?" asked Angel.

"Cerebro," answered Erik. "It's a machine that allows telepaths to expand their powers and make them more powerful. We use it to locate other mutants."

"How powerful can it make telepaths?" asked Angel.

"Very powerful," answered Erik. "You'd want to leave this place and run down the other side of the hallway. Take the elevator up and sneak out the front door. Everyone's asleep and Beast is in the kitchen eating. You won't be caught."

Angel followed Erik's instructions and was soon flying in the air back to the Hellfire Club. She flew back to the busy urban area of New York and landed in front of an apartment building. She made her way to the penthouse suite, where she found the other Hellfire Club members enjoying drinks.

"Where were you?" asked Riptide.

"And why isn't Robert Kelly dead?" asked Jason.

"Those other mutants caught me," said Angel.

"Those mutants are really getting in our way," said Benedict.

"They call themselves the X-Men," said Angel.

"X-Men?" asked Selene. "What a ridiculous name!"

"There's more," said Angel as she approached Jason. "I know how you can get your revenge on them."

**Present Chapter 28: Parent's Night**

The school was busy Friday night, preparing for the Parent's Night event. Parents of the mutant students were coming to enjoy a night of celebrations. They would be allowed to see their child's work and progress in school. Most of the students were helping out for the event.

"This is so exciting!" said Kitty as she spun around, showing off her new dress.

"Watch it!" said Armando. "You're gonna make me spill the tarts."

"Yeah, Kitty, can you please help us bring out the food?" asked Sophia. "We only have an hour until they come."

"Ok, I'll help," said Kitty. "I'm just so excited to see my parents. I haven't seen them in forever!"

Upstairs in the art room, some students were sitting around playing board games and painting. These students were the students that had no parents. Cannonball agreed to look after them for the night.

"Sammy," said Melody as she brought him a picture. "Do you like my picture? It's our parents."

"That's good," said Cannonball. "You still remember what our parents look like?"

"It's been so long," said Melody. "But I still remember."

"You like it here right?" asked Cannonball.

"Yeah, I do," said Melody. "It sure beats living on the streets like we used to."

"Yeah it does," said Cannonball.

"Can I have a codename?"

"A codename? Why?"

"I want to be a part of the X-Men when I'm older."

"Melody, it's dangerous."

"You do it."

"Yeah, well I put myself in a lot of danger...for you."

"I want to be called Aero."

"Maybe in the future. But for now you're Melody."

At seven, the parents began to arrive. The students ran to their parents and the school's main floor was filled with joy.

"Jean-Paul, Jeanne-Marie!" said an excited Mrs. Beaubier as she hugged her children.

"It's been so long!" said Mr. Beaubier as he kissed his daughter's cheek.

"Dad, you're going to ruin my makeup," said Jeanne-Marie.

"Jean-Paul, are you going to introduce us to your boyfriend?" asked Mrs. Beaubier.

"Yeah, he's right there," said Jean-Paul as he walked over to Roberto and grabbed his hand. "Mom, Dad, this is Roberto."

"Nice to meet you," said Roberto.

"Oh, such a handsome young man!" said Mrs. Beaubier.

"Does my daughter have a boyfriend?" asked Mr. Beaubier.

"No, I don't," said Jeanne-Marie.

"Good!" said Mr. Beaubier. "No boy is good enough for my daughter!"

"Roberto, are your parents coming tonight?" asked Mrs. Beaubier.

"They'll be here soon," answered Roberto. "They're just coming from the airport. They're coming from Brazil."

"Oh, how exotic!" said Mrs. Beaubier.

"Mom!" yelled Jean-Paul.

"Well, it is!" said Mrs. Beaubier.

Over at a table, Kitty's parents, Amara's parents and Sophia's parents sat and ate the student prepared dinner.

"This is really good," said Mr. Pryde. "Did you cook this chicken?"

"Yes, I did, Dad," said Kitty. "And I also helped cooked the potatoes."

"We're just so proud of you," said Mrs. Pryde. "Who's your cooking instructor?"

"Professor Rasputin," said Kitty. Kitty looked over to see Colossus talking with some of the parents.

"I hope you're focusing on your studies and not spending too much time with your new boyfriend," said Mrs. Aquilla to Amara.

"Don't worry, Mom," said Amara. "And Max is a nice guy. He really cares about me."

"Your mom and I just want to apologize for giving you away to Weapon X," said Mr. Aquilla. "We didn't know they were going to torture you. They said they wanted to help you-"

"Dad, it's ok," interrupted Amara. "You didn't know. I don't blame you."

"I got an A in English," said Sophia.

"That's great!" said Ms. Barrett. "You were always so good at poetry."

"No, daughter of mine is going to become a poet!" said Mr. Barrett. "Do better in math. I want you to become a business woman."

"What if she doesn't want to be a business woman?" asked Ms. Barrett.

"She doesn't have a choice," said Mr. Barrett.

"This exactly what I keep saying," yelled Ms. Barrett. "All you do is control people."

"And all you do is let our daughter run loose!" Mr. Barrett.

"I'm so glad we got a divorce!" said Ms. Barrett.

"Yeah, I'm glad too!" yelled Mr. Barrett.

"Mom, Dad!" yelled Sophia. "People are staring! Stop yelling and just eat the chicken!"

Over at the beverage table, Cyclops, Jean, Storm and Beast were talking.

"I like your suit, Beast," said Storm.

"Thank you," said Beast. "I just bought it today. Where's Wolverine?"

"He didn't want to be here," answered Storm. "He went to the casino instead."

"So, do you think you're falling for him?" asked Jean.

"No, we're just friends...with benefits," said Storm.

The elementary student, Jordan Lewis walked over to the adults and pulled on Jean's dress.

"Hello, Jordan," said Jean.

"Ms. Grey, can you please come meet my parents," said Jordan.

"Oh, of course," said Jean as she walked over to Jordan's parents.

"Have you decided on a venue yet?" asked Storm.

"We haven't been looking," said Cyclops. "Every time we want to start planning the wedding, something comes up."

"I'm sure you'll be fine," said Storm. "Oh, is Madelyne coming for Alex?"

"She should be," said Cyclops. Cyclops looked over at the door and saw Madelyne walk in.

Madelyne walked in and was greeted by Alex. Cyclops made his way over to greet Madelyne.

"I'm so glad you caught Magneto," said Madelyne. "I rejoiced when I heard the news on TV. Hurray for the X-Men!"

"The world is a little bit safer now," said Cyclops.

"Madelyne, come sit down," said Alex.

"Alex, how many times do I have to ask you to call me Mom," said Madelyne.

Alex and Madelyne sat down at a table next to Aisha and Julian's parents.

"So, I've been lonely lately without having to take care of you," said Madelyne. "Do you think you want to come back home?"

"No, " said Alex. "I like it here."

"Yes, well maybe you can still go to school here but just live with me," said Madelyne. "I don't mind driving you to school."

"No, Madelyne," said Alex. "I don't want to. I like living here. I have friends here."

Jean-Paul was talking to Roberto's parents.

"And then Roberto got out of the pool and his swim trunks had fallen off!" said Mrs. Da Costa.

"That's hilarious," said Jean-Paul.

"Yeah, so hilarious," said Roberto in a sarcastic tone. "Mom, please stop talking."

"I always had a feeling Roberto would date a boy," said Mr. Da Costa. "He was always a curious young man who liked to try new things. I remember one time I found him eating earthworms from the garden."

"Dad!" said Roberto. Suddenly, there was commotion coming from a table.

"Fine! Don't come back to live with me!" yelled Madelyne. Everyone in the room went quiet. "I raised you for six years! Got you out of foster care! This is how you repay me!"

"Hey, lady you making a scene," said Aisha's father.

"Dad, don't get involved," said Aisha.

Cyclops and Jean ran over to the table.

"Calm down," said Cyclops.

"No, I will not calm down!" yelled Madelyne. "This school has turned my own son against me!"

"I'm not your real son!" yelled Alex.

"Alex, don't say anything," said Jean as she tried to pull Alex away from the scene.

"Don't touch my son!" yelled Madelyne. "Just because you look exactly like me, doesn't make you his mother! I was the one that raised him since he was 10! Then you and Cyclops come to Chicago and take him away from me!"

"You agreed to come here," said Cyclops.

"I didn't know what I was getting myself into being at this school!" Madelyne grabbed her coat and walked over to the door. Professor X made his way to the door.

"Madelyne," said Professor X. "Don't do this."

"Don't tell me what to do!" said Madelyne. "I'll get my revenge on this school of yours. On your stupid X-Men!"

Madelyne walked out the door, leaving the students and their parents shocked at what they had seen.

"Crazy bitch!" said Aisha's father.

"Dad!" Aisha yelled out in embarrassment.

**Future Chapter 28: Madelyne's Broken Mind**

Madelyne closed her eyes as she tried to use Cerebro to locate Cyclops. The X-Men who were levitating a bit above the ground, were struggling to break free from Madelyne's psychic grip. Cerebro centered in on Cyclops' mind and located him on Utopia.

"Now I just have to concentrate and kill him," said Madelyne.

"No!" yelled Beast.

"Alex, do something," said Polaris.

"What can I do?" asked Havok.

"Just a little bit more," said Madelyne.

Havok was trying to think of a way to make his adoptive mother stop what she was doing. Suddenly, an idea came to mind.

"Mom!" yelled Havok. Madelyne's heart skipped a beat when she heard the word "mom" come out from Alex's mouth. Madelyne took the helmet off and reached her hand out to Havok, pulling him forward.

"What did you say?" asked Madelyne.

"I said Mom," said Havok. "I don't want you to hurt, Scott. Don't hurt my brother. Together...we can be a family."

"Do you really mean it?" asked Madelyne.

"Yes," said Havok. Havok looked into Madelyne's lifeless eyes. Her insanity had broken her mind.

"I don't believe it," said Madelyne. "I'm not a fool, Alex!" Madelyne then waved her hand and Havok was sent flying in the air. His body hit the metal wall of Cerebro and he fell down to the bottom of the round room.

"Alex!" yelled Polaris and Northstar.

"Back to business," said Madelyne as she put the helmet back on.

Madelyne concentrated harder and harder, until suddenly, an electric shock from the helmet zapped Madelyne's head. Madelyne screamed in pain and fell to floor. The X-Men were released from her psychic grip. Cerebro turned itself off. Polaris flew down to the bottom of Cerebro and grabbed Havok and brought him back to the main level.

"What happened?" asked Sunspot.

"Emma must have put a safety device on the machine to prevent anyone from using it to kill others," said Beast.

"Is she ok?" asked Northstar.

"She's not dead," said Beast as he took her pulse. "She's just knocked out."

"What do you want to do with her?" asked Polaris.

"Mystique?" asked Beast.

"We'll put her in a bed and keep an eye on her," said Mystique. "She's been subdued, so she shouldn't be a threat to us anymore."

An hour later, after Madelyne was put in a bed to rest and everyone had unpacked, Northstar and Havok were outside on the patio, watching the sunset.

"You said mom," said Northstar.

"I know," said Havok. "Never thought I would."

"What are we going to do about our lovers?" asked Northstar.

"Our lovers?" laughed Havok. "Don't call them that."

"Well, they're still mad at us," said Northstar. "We should apologize."

"Or we could sleep together," said Havok.

"Yeah, because that will solve all our problems," said Northstar sarcastically.

The two walked into the mansion and found Polaris and Sunspot making sanwiches.

"Can you make me a sandwich too?" asked Northstar to Sunspot.

"Sure, do you want mayo?" asked Sunspot.

"Yes, please," said Northstar.

"We have to tell you something," said Havok.

"What is it?" asked Polaris.

"We're sorry," said Havok. "We're sorry for fighting with you guys." Polaris and Sunspot looked at each other and smiled.

To be continued...


	29. Stories 29

**X-Men: Past, Present, Future**

"A revolution is a struggle to the death between the future and the past," - Fidel Castro

**Past Chapter 29: Dreams Part One**

"You let her go!" yelled Charles. His voice could be heard throughout the mansion that morning.

"It was a mistake," said Erik.

"You did it on purpose!" Charles screamed.

"Stay out of my mind, Charles!" yelled Erik.

"Ok, let's all just settle down," said Moira.

"No! Erik doesn't understand what he has done," said Charles.

"And what have you done?" Erik retaliated. "You opened a secret school and made enemies with dangerous mutants. The world still hates and fears us and nothing you've done is getting us anywhere!"

"You've changed, Erik. You're not the same guy I became friends with."

"I didn't change...I evolved."

Erik stormed out of the living room and retreated to his bedroom. Charles looked around the room, unable to understand his anger towards his best friend. Moira tried to comfort him, but she could sense that he was distraught.

That night, everybody was sleeping. Raven walked down into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. She saw Erik in his pajama bottoms and shirtless, drinking a glass of milk.

"Couldn't sleep?" Raven asked.

"Milk always helps me," said Erik. Raven gazed at Erik's bare chest and felt immediate sexual attraction.

"Things got really heated with you and Charles today," said Raven. Erik put the glass of milk on the counter and grabbed Raven's arms.

"Quit the chit chat," said Erik. "I know what you want."

"Erik..." Raven tried to find the words to tell Erik her true feelings. Suddenly, Erik kissed Raven. The two embraced passionately. Erik then pushed Raven on the fridge as he kissed her neck.

In Azazel's bedroom, Azazel awoke when he heard footsteps in his bedroom. Azazel turned on his bedside lamp, illuminating the room. Raven was in the middle of the room, staring at Azazel.

"Raven?" asked Azazel. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for you," said Raven as she pounced onto the bed and began kissing Azazel.

In Shiro's bedroom, the sound of wind chimes woke Shiro up. Daylight crept through the window, making Shiro get out of his bed to look outside the window. There was something different about the sight out his window. It wasn't of New York, but of an Asian countryside. Shiro smelt a familiar smell outside his bedroom. He quickly walked out of his bedroom to find himself at his old house in Japan. He walked on the tatami floors and made his way to the kitchen. Shiro's eyes filled with tears as he saw the sight of his mother cooking. His mother turned around to greet him with her loving smile.

Alison was on stage, singing her heart out to a large crowd. Her mutant powers made her twinkle on the stage. The crowd kept cheering louder and louder. Alison felt euphoric with every note she sang.

Fred was standing in front of a mirror. His rolls of fat suddenly sucked into his body. Every bit of fat disappeared, replaced with hard muscle. Fred wasn't obese anymore. He had the body that he always wanted.

Sean found himself walking down a red carpet as people cheered for him and took his picture. He signed autographs and kissed random girls on the lips. He was famous and everybody wanted a piece of him.

Jono was standing in the Danger Room, fighting off Danger Room villains. After defeating 15 villains, Jono was faced with a giant villain. Jono released a surge of power from his chest that easily destroyed the villain. Jono smiled at his accomplishment.

Hank walked out to a pond and stared into the water. His reflection showed the face he had before he turned blue and furry. Hank looked at his hands and all he saw were normal hands. Hank began to cry tears of joy as he touched his face.

Tessa was on stage, being presented with a Nobel Peace Prize. The audience cheered loudly as she took hold of the award. Tessa smiled as her heart filled with joy over the prize.

Emma found herself at a dinner table, looking at wonderfully prepared meals. Suddenly, Emma's parents joined her at the table. Emma was overwhelmed with happiness as she ate dinner with her parents.

Moira was in a beautiful garden in a gorgeous wedding dress. She could hear Charles' voice calling for her in a distance. Moira laughed to herself as tears of joy rolled down her face at the thought of her wedding day.

Charles was walking down a New York street to see the sight of mutants and humans living peacefully. He saw a mutant breathing fire to cook burgers, while a line of people waited to buy burgers. He saw another mutant flying around with angel-like wings, while another mutant spun around, filling the air with bubbles.

Erik was in a car, waiting for someone, but he didn't know who. Suddenly, the car door opened and Magda came in. Magda greeted Erik with a passionate kiss.

"I'm leaving my husband for you," said Magda.

"You are?" asked Erik.

"Yes...I just want you to prove to me that you truly love me," said Magda.

"Of course, what do you want me to do?" asked Erik.

"Go outside and yell out that you love me," demanded Magda. Erik smiled and then got out of the car.

Erik took a few steps out in the empty parking lot and began yelling "I love Magda," over and over. Erik looked over at Magda, smiling in the car and blowing kisses at him. Suddenly, the car exploded. Erik looked in horror as flaming pieces of the car flew in the air.

Charles laughed as he saw mutant and human children playing in the street. Suddenly, he heard gun shots. Everybody was screaming as police came to round up the mutants and put them into trucks.

Moira walked towards the wedding ceremony. Suddenly, her dress turned black and the flowers in the garden began to die. Moira was left by herself in a garden of dead flowers as it rained.

Emma took another bite of her food when something felt strange. The food was made out of diamond. Emma turned to her parents, to find them sitting on the table, dead.

Tessa was about to give her acceptance speech, when suddenly the audience disappeared. Tessa looked around to see a figure onstage with her. It was Sebastian Shaw, smiling at her. She felt fear as her body froze.

Hank took in the fresh air as he looked up at the sky. His face became itchy and as he scratched it, he felt fur on his face. Hank looked into the water to see his reflection of a normal face replaced by the blue beast that he was. He roared in agony at the sight of the beast.

Jono exited the Danger Room, to find himself at the scattered remains of the orphanage. He heard the sound of police sirens approaching as he looked around in fear. Jono had destroyed the orphanage, his only home, the only home of others.

Sean continued to walk down the red carpet, but the crowd wasn't cheering for him anymore. They were booing him and throwing tomatoes at him. Sean tried to dodge the tomatoes and run to the nearest building, but he couldn't find any. The people began to chase him down the red carpet that seemed to have no end.

Fred looked in the mirror as he flex. Suddenly, his large bicep turned into fat. The mirror broke into pieces as Fred's fat came back. The sound of laughter and taunting caused Fred much misery and pain as his body returned back to its former obese self.

Alison continued to sing on stage, when suddenly she fell off stage. Alison got up and found that the audience were gone. Alison looked around before hearing the cracking of the stage. The stage collapsed as Alison ran to safety. Alison was in complete darkness, by herself.

Shiro ate his mother's cooking as his mother smiled and watched. There was knock at the door. Shiro's mother answered the door and then began screaming. Two police men came into the room and tried to capture Shiro. Shiro turned his body into fire and the whole house caught on fire.

Azazel stopped kissing Raven to see that she had a look of fear in her eyes. Azazel looked over at the door, when suddenly bullets were fired from outside the door. Azazel tried to teleport out of the room but it wasn't working. All the bullets were hitting Raven as Azazel tried to teleport him and Raven out of the room.

Raven grabbed onto Erik's hair but it wasn't soft. It was hard and cold. Raven looked and saw that Erik's body was completely metal. Raven pushed Erik off of her and his body cracked.

"What's going on?" Raven asked.

**Present Chapter 29: Mutant Town**

Bobby was driving, while Kurt was in the passenger seat. The radio played in the background, as Kurt looked outside the window. He could see his reflection in the side view mirror. His dark blue skin and yellows eyes reflected in the mirror. Kurt turned to Bobby, who had a serious expression on his face.

"Maybe I'll buy a new iPod," said Kurt. Bobby didn't respond. "Or that new video game or some Blue-Rays..." Bobby still didn't respond. "Bobby?"

"Yeah?" Bobby replied.

"What's wrong?" asked Kurt.

"I'm just thinking."

"About what?"

"Nothing."

"Are you thinking about Rogue?"

"No..."

"You're lying."

Bobby parked the car on the street.

"We're here," said Bobby.

"Uh...this isn't BestBuy," said Kurt.

"I know," said Bobby. "We'll go to BestBuy later. We just have to visit someone here."

"This is Mutant Town," said Kurt. "What business do we have here?"

"Rogue."

"I knew it! You were thinking about Rogue!"

"Come on let's go."

The two mutants made their way into Mutant Town, also known as District X. It was a ghetto within in New York City that had a 95% mutant population. All the businesses were mutant owned and the public schools in the area had 90% mutant students. The crime rate in Mutant Town was exceptionally high and at least one mutant dies every month from violence within the district.

Bobby and Kurt made their way down a street. There was a group of four mutants dressed in black and leather loitering on the steps of an apartment building. The group saw Bobby and Kurt coming down the street and immediately stood up to confront them.

"Hey, I've never seen you's two here before," said the group leader. She was a Latin woman with tattoos down her right arm.

"We don't want any trouble," said Bobby.

"Then what do you want you here?" asked the leader.

"We're looking for a mutant," said Kurt.

"Kurt!" yelled Bobby.

"What? Maybe they could help us," said Kurt.

"Who'd you looking for, sweet thing?" said the leader as she caressed Kurt's arm.

"We're looking for a girl named Rogue," said Kurt.

"We know Rogue," said the leader. "She's that hot Louisiana's guys girlfriend."

"Do you want to show us where she lives?" asked Kurt.

"Sure, baby," said the leader. "Follow us."

Bobby and Kurt followed the group down the street.

"My name is Callisto by the way," said the leader. "I'm the leader of the Morlocks. We run the town here."

"I'm Kurt but people call me Nightcrawler," said Kurt. "This is Bobby, but people call him Iceman."

"What class are you guys?" asked Callisto.

"Class 2 for me," said Kurt. "I can teleport. Bobby is a class 4, he can freeze stuff and turn himself into ice."

"I'm a class 2," said Callisto. "I have super speed, superhuman strength and all my senses are enhanced."

"That's cool," said Kurt. "How about your friends?"

"Introduce yourself guys!" yelled Callisto.

"I'm Phat," said the tall skinny man. "I'm a class 1. I'm able to change my body mass to a large obese man."

"I'm Archlight," said the woman in the black leather jacket and purple hair. "I'm a class 3 that can create shock waves through my hands."

"I'm Erg," said the handsome man with the eye patch over his right eye. "I'm a class 3 that can release electric shocks through my right eye."

The group made their way into an apartment building. They went up to the fourth floor and knocked on the door of 4B. No one answered.

"They must be out," said Callisto. The door to 4C opened. An elderly woman wearing a head scarf and a black silk dress came out into the hallway.

"Plague," said Callisto to the old woman. "Where is Rogue and Gambit?"

"They left last night," said Plague.

"Left? Where?" asked Bobby.

"They said they were moving to New Orleans," said Plague.

Kurt looked at Bobby's face. He could tell Bobby was crushed. The Morlocks could also see that Bobby's heart was in pain.

"Sorry," said Callisto. "At least they left this hell hole."

"Yeah and they left without being forced to," said Phat.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Kurt.

"A little boy named Leech was kidnapped here two days ago," replied Archlight.

"Kidnapped?" asked Kurt.

"Yeah," said Callisto. "We couldn't find him."

"Did you call the police?" asked Bobby.

"No," said Erg. "There's no point. The police won't help us mutants."

"Maybe we can help," said Kurt. "We used to go to school that was just for mutants."

"There's such a thing?" asked Archlight.

"Yup," said Kurt. "It's run by this great man named Charles Xavier. He has a machine that he can use to help track down Leech."

"Please find Leech," said Plague. "My heart cannot take the pain of wondering if he's safe."

"Do you think this Xavier guy can help us?" asked Callisto.

"Of course," said Kurt. "We'll take you to him."

**Future Chapter 29: Northstar's Love Triangle**

"Oh my God!" yelled Polaris running into the living room.

"What is it?" asked Beast.

"We forgot Jubilee!" Polaris screamed. "We left her in Utopia! She was supposed to come with us back to the US! This isn't good! This isn't good!"

"Calm down, Polaris," said Havok.

"No, I will not calm down!" yelled Polaris. "We're suppose to work as a team and we leave a team member behind. We're going to fail!"

"We're not going to fail, now sit down!" yelled Mystique. Polaris sat down on the couch next to Havok. "Jubilee went with Angel to California to pick up some mutants who are going to join our team."

"Why didn't you tell us this?" asked Polaris.

"I did, you were just too busy fighting with your boyfriend to listen!" yelled Mystique.

"Oh..." said Polaris. "My bad."

"When will they be here?" asked Sunspot.

"This evening," said Mystique.

That evening a helicopter landed on the estate of Emma Frost. The mutants inside the mansion went out to greet the helicopter. Jubilee and Angel walked off the helicopter, followed by three familiar faces: Billy Soul aka. Lil' Bro, one of Jean Grey's former elementary students, now 17 years old; Erg a former member of the Morlocks; and Chris Colchriss aka. Melter a former junior high student of Xavier's institute who is now 23.

Northstar's eyes widen and his heart stopped when he saw the sight of Erg getting out of the helicopter. Sunspot gave Erg a dirty look.

Erg looked at Northstar, who was awkwardly looking away. "Hello, Jean-Paul."

"Hi," said Northstar. Havok noticed the awkwardness between Northstar and Erg and became suspicious.

"Let's get into the mansion and have some coffee," said Beast.

The mutants gathered in the living room to drink their coffee.

"You're all grown up!" said Polaris to Lil' Bro.

"I know," said Lil' Bro.

"He's taller than us now," said Jubilee. "I still remember how short you were. You only went up to my hips."

"And Chris!" said Polaris. "I remember when you were just a 13 year old boy, melting the tennis balls in gym class."

"Yeah, Colossus never really liked it when I did that," said Melter. "And call me Melter now."

"Neh, I'd rather still call you, Chris," laughed Polaris.

Northstar got up to put his coffee mug in the kitchen sink. Havok followed him.

"Hey, what's up with you?" asked Havok.

"What do you mean?" asked Northstar.

"You and Erg," said Havok. "There seems to be some tension there."

"There's no tension..." said Northstar.

"You're lying," said Havok. "Tell me what happened. Didn't Erg use to live in San Francisco?"

"Ok...but it's not a super big deal," said Northstar. "After about a year when Roberto and I moved to San Francisco, we got into a huge argument and broke up. I moved out and started dating Erg."

"Erg is gay?" asked Havok. "I guess that explains why he always rejected the girls chasing him."

"He told me he had a crush on me ever since he met me," said Northstar. "That's why he followed me to San Francisco."

"Do you still have feelings for him?" asked Havok.

"Maybe...I don't know! We were together for two years before I realized I missed Roberto...so I broke up with Erg and got back together with Roberto. Now the two hate each other."

"I can see why."

"Yeah, I'm stuck in the middle of a pretty hardcore love triangle."

"How about a love square because I want a piece of the Northstar action too."

"Don't start with that or I will cut your balls off." Havok burst out in laughter.

To be continued...


	30. Stories 30

**X-Men: Past, Present, Future**

**Author's Note:** Hi everybody! Thanks for reading my stories. I'm so grateful that I have people who enjoy my stories and want to see it through 'til the end. Well, I have good and bad news. I've planned out the story to end on the 50th chapter. The good news is we still have 20 chapters to go! You'll see that near the end, all the storylines will end nicely with the past and present storylines having a cliff hanger. This is because the past storyline leads up to the first chapter of the present storyline. The present storyline leads to 10 years before the future storyline because the future storyline starts 10 years after the present. I hope you enjoy the last 20 chapters and once again thank you for reading!

**Past Chapter 30: Dreams Part Two**

Erik stood with tears in his eyes at the sight of the car that Magda was in consumed by a blaze of fire. His knees gave in and he fell to the ground, weeping over his lost love. A gentle hand touched Erik's shoulder. Erik turned around and saw Charles' concern face staring down at him.

"It's not what you think," said Charles.

"What are you saying?" asked a sobbing Erik. "She's dead."

"No, she's not," said Charles. "It's an illusion."

"But I saw the car explode!" yelled Erik as he got up to his feet.

"Someone is casting illusions on us," said Charles.

"Who is it?" asked Erik. A bright light appeared and Emma emerged.

"Who do you think?" asked Emma.

"Jason?" Erik asked.

"Yes," said Emma. "The great illusionist, Jason Wyngarde. Remember how he used to call himself Mastermind?"

"I do remember that," said Erik as he wiped his tears. "But how is he making these illusions so believable? He was never this powerful."

"He must be using something to amplify his illusions," said Charles.

"Cerebro," said Emma. "He has to be using Cerebro."

"Angel must have told him about Cerebro," said Erik.

"How would she know about it?" asked Charles as he got close to Erik's face with an angry look.

"Back off, Charles," said Erik. "How do we stop him?"

"When both Charles and I realized that we were dreaming, we were able to break free from the illusion," said Emma. "But only by combining our telepathy together to both be free from the illusion and to not allow Jason to detect us from being free."

"This means we both have to stay in the dream world so Jason doesn't suspect anything," said Charles. "Erik, you're going to have to stop Jason."

"Okay, how?" asked Erik.

"We will break you out of the dream and you'll wake up," said Charles. "Then you can stop Jason from using Cerebro and we'll keep him imprisoned."

"Imprisoned?" asked Erik. "Why don't we just kill him?"

"Don't kill him!" yelled Charles.

"Fine," said Erik. "Wake me up." Charles and Emma placed their index and middle fingers on Erik's forehead. Suddenly, a bright light consumed Erik and his body disappeared.

Erik woke up and found himself in his bedroom. Erik got out of his bed and ran down the stairs to the lower levels of the school. He was about to open the doors to Cerebro but then feared that if Jason caught him, he'll be cast into another illusion. Erik then looked at the doors to Beast's lab. Erik smiled as he remembered a tool that would help him defeat Jason.

The doors to Cerebro opened and the machine turned off. Jason turned around to see Erik wearing a helmet on his head. Jason laughed as Erik approached him.

"Nice helmet," mocked Jason.

"Why are you doing this?" asked Erik.

"I said I wanted revenge," said Jason. "Instilling fear into my enemies is quite satisfying."

"You should have just died with Shaw," said Erik.

"And you should have just stayed asleep!" yelled Jason.

Jason waved his hands around and began to laugh. However, Erik was standing there, unable to see the giant snakes slithering around his body. Erik smiled and pointed to his helmet.

"Your tricks won't work on me," said Erik.

"You left me there to burn!" screamed Jason. "You made my face hideous! You deserve to die!"

"You deserve to die!" yelled Erik.

Erik created a magnetic force around Cerebro's metal helmet that was still on Jason's head. Jason screamed as the helmet collapsed under pressure. The helmet squeezed tighter and tighter as Jason's eyes began to bleed. Jason fell to his knees, screaming in pain. Jason's body met the floor as life escaped him. The doors to Cerebro opened and the others entered.

"Erik!" Charles yelled. Charles ran to Jason's corpse. Charles then turned to Erik. "You killed him!"

"He was going to kill all of us," said Erik.

"I told you not to kill him!" Charles screamed.

"You don't get to tell me what to do!" yelled Erik.

"Stop yelling!" yelled Moira.

"I am sick of following orders from you Charles," said Erik. "You're not my leader."

"I never said I was," said Charles. "I'm just trying to help all of us."

"Well, I don't believe in any of your tactics," said Erik. "All we do is sit and wait until the Hellfire Club or some activist group does something. We don't make any statements or actually change anything. We just become obstacles for the future."

"Peaceful resistance will give us peaceful results," responded Charles.

"We won't be able to achieve peace unless we go to war!"yelled Erik.

"War causes nothing but trouble!" yelled Charles. "And what the hell is on your head?"

"It's something that I had Hank make me," replied Erik. "It keeps you out of my head."

"Hank!" Charles yelled. "How could you?"

"I'm sorry," said Hank. "He convinced me it was a good idea."

"It's your best invention, yet," said Erik.

"No, it's not!" yelled Charles.

"Enough!" yelled Emma. "Clearly you two don't agree with each other's views."

"Yeah," said Moira. "But it won't get us nowhere if you two keep fighting. So, Erik, what do you want to do?"

Erik looked in Charles' eyes. He remembered their friendship. He remembered the good times they shared together. From their time at the train station to Charles' support when Magda left him. These memories will always be cherished by Erik.

"I want to leave," said Erik.

"What?" asked Charles.

"I want to leave," repeated Erik. "I can't stay here anymore."

"No!" Raven cried. "You can't leave!"

"I'm sorry, Raven," said Erik as he walked over to the young mutant and hugged her. "I have to leave."

"She's right, Erik, don't go," said Moira.

"We should all stick together," said Tessa.

"Yeah, the Hellfire Club can attack you at anytime," said Jono.

"You'll be safe here with us," said Sean.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go," said Erik. "I have no place here."

Erik gathered his belongings and called a taxi. The students sat in the living room listening to Raven weep. Charles stood in the kitchen, unable to watch as his best friend walked out the door. The taxi drove away into the night. After a few minutes, everyone returned back to bed. Their lives were never going to be the same again.

At the Hellfire Club's penthouse suite, Selene had called the remaining members of the Hellfire Club to a meeting in the living room.

"I sense that Jason is no longer with us," Selene stated.

"Was it the X-Men?" asked Riptide.

"Yes," said Selene. "They are more of a threat than we thought."

"What should we do now?" asked Benedict.

"I suggest we become less prominent in the world and do things more underground," said Selene. "Just how it should be. When the time comes, we'll make ourselves known."

"What about the force?" asked Angel.

"We'll keep looking for the force," said Selene. "And we'll make it our weapon!"

"Who's going to be the new leader?" asked Benedict.

"I'll be," said Selene with a grin.

**Present Chapter 30: The Sisterhood of Evil Mutants**

"These are the Morlocks," said Kurt to Professor X. The Morlocks stood in the hallways of the mansion, looking around at the vastness. Some of the students stared at the Morlocks, in awe over their choice of clothing. Erg made eye contact with Jean-Paul and felt an immediate attraction to the mutant.

"It's nice to meet you all," greeted Professor X. "Come downstairs and we'll find your friend, Leech."

Professor X, Kurt and the Morlocks went into the elevator and made their way to the lower levels. Colossus approached Bobby, who was thinking to himself.

"How did you find those guys?" asked Colossus.

"Ran into them in Mutant Town," replied Bobby.

"What were you doing in Mutant Town?" asked Colossus. Bobby didn't answer. "Were you looking for Rogue?"

"She's in New Orleans now," said Bobby. "With Gambit."

"You have to get over her," said Colossus.

"I am over her," said Bobby as he walked away. Colossus shook his head at Bobby's lie.

"Are you sure he's in San Francisco?" asked Callisto as her, Professor X, Kurt and the rest of Morlocks exited Cerebro.

"I'm positive," answered Professor X. "I'll send my X-Men to retrieve him."

"We want to go to," said Callisto. "He's our friend."

"After this is all over, would you like to stay here at the school?" asked Professor X. "Archlight and Erg here are 16, correct? I think it would benefit them if they gain an education while living in a safe place. You and Phat may stay here as well."

"Thank you for the offer," said Callisto. "But our home is Mutant Town. Right guys?"

"Yeah," said Erg. "We have to protect Mutant Town."

"At least think about it," said Professor X.

"We will," replied Archlight. "But first, Leech." Suddenly, Kitty phased through the ceiling and landed next to Kurt.

"Kitty!" cried a startled Kurt.

"Professor, we have a problem!" said Kitty. "You better get outside."

The students were gathered in the hallway and living room, looking outside the front windows of the school. Outside, the X-Men stood firmly as five women made their way onto the campus grounds. The women were Madelyne, Psylocke, Spiral, Mystique and Lady Deathstrike.

"Hello, X-Men," greeted Madelyne.

"What are you doing here?" asked Cyclops in a stern voice.

"I told your Professor that I was going to get revenge on you," said Madelyne. "So, I assembled my own team. I found Spiral and Mystique at the Brotherhood's hideout. Then we got Psylocke out of prison and found Deathstrike who has personal stuff with Wolverine." Wolverine snarled. "We are the Sisterhood of Evil Mutants."

"The Sisterhood?" asked Cannonball. "Not very original."

"Get off the property, Madelyne," said Storm. "And take your stupid Sisterhood with you."

"I'm not leaving until I do two things," said Madelyne. "Get back my son, Alex and kill Jean Grey."

"Why do you want to kill me?" asked Jean.

"I'm starting to believe we do look the same," said Madelyne. "And that is a problem. There can only be one of us, and I believe it's me."

"Enough with this shit!" Wolverine yelled as he charged at Madelyne.

Deathstrike blocked Wolverine's attack and kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying and landing near the fountain.

"You're mine, Wolverine!" screamed Deathstrike.

Deathstrike revealed her claws and tried to slash Wolverine's face. Wolverine blocked the attack and stabbed his claws into Deathstrike's side. Deathstrike kneed Wolverine's stomach and stuck her claws into his chest. Wolverine screamed as Deathstrike pushed Wolverine into the fountain.

Beast charged at Spiral and grabbed at two of her arms. Spiral used two other arms to choke Beast. Cannonball propelled his body upwards to fly and then propelled himself downwards, targeting Psylocke. Psylocke used her psychic blade to hit Cannonball. Cyclops released optic blasts at Madelyne. Madelyne used her telekinesis to lift a tree in the air and throw it at Cyclops. Jean stopped the tree from landing on Cyclops and threw it back at Madelyne. Madelyne split the tree in half before it landed on her. Colossus charged at Spiral to help Beast. Spiral let go of her chokehold on Beast and got into a fist fight with Colossus. Storm lifted herself into the air and summoned a tornado to chase after Psylocke.

Angel looked around and noticed that there was someone missing. Angel then realized that Mystique was not in the battle. Angel ran inside the school in a panic.

"Everybody, don't move!" yelled Angel. "Mystique is in the mansion!" The students screamed. Angel ran to Alex and Professor X. "Mystique must be after Alex."

"I don't think that's it," said Professor X.

"Can you sense her mind?" asked Angel.

"Not when she transforms," said Professor X. "But I can sense she's in the mansion."

Wolverine and Deathstrike continued to fight in the fountain, dying the water in the fountain red with each other's blood. Wolverine noticed the giant tornado coming towards the fountain. Deathstrike stabbed him in the back and began clawing at his face. Wolverine elbowed Deathstrike in the neck and stabbed her in the stomach. He quickly ran out of the fountain right before the tornado sucked Deathstrike up. Deathstrike and Psylocke were both stuck in the powerful spinning wind.

Madelyne and Jean were stuck in a psychic mind battle. Madelyne began overpowering Jean, making her fall to her knees. Suddenly, Jean released immense power that broke through Madelyne's psyche. Suddenly, Cyclops released an optic blast that hit Madelyne making her step backwards and get sucked into Storm's tornado. Storm then controlled the tornado to send Madelyne, Psylocke and Deathstrike flying away.

Colossus and Spiral were still fist fighting. Beast then jumped onto Spiral's back and snapped her neck. Spiral's body fell to the ground. Inside the mansion, Professor X told the students to look away from the window, so they wouldn't see her death. The X-Men ran back into the mansion.

"Where's Mystique?" asked Cyclops.

"She's gone," answered Professor X. "She only joined Madelyne's team as a front."

"What did she really want?" asked Cannonball.

"I'm not sure," said Professor X. "But she has what she wants now and is gone."

"Alex, are you okay?" asked Cyclops.

"Yeah, I'm fine," answered Alex. The Morlocks began to clap.

"That was amazing," said Archlight.

"Where did you guys learn all those neat moves?" asked Phat.

"We train here," responded Kurt.

"This place is incredible," said Erg. Erg looked at Jean-Paul and winked. Roberto wrapped his arm around Jean-Paul's shoulder.

"You can stay here if you want," said Professor X.

"Find Leech first," demanded Callisto.

**Future Chapter 30: A Dangerous Mind**

"Defense Against Mutants or DAM, are still investigating who the mutant leader, Emma Frost is. Her speech to the world last month caused many riots in mutant communities around the world. Officials believe that Frost may originate from Canada or the US. However, no records show of any Emma Frost living in the US. Officials do believe that perhaps Emma's mutation gives her telepathy, which could explain missing records of Frost. DAM says the investigation will continue until Frost is captured. In other news, more deaths on both sides in Jamaica-"

Mystique turned off the TV and looked at Beast. The other mutants were sitting, worried about the future.

"They're getting smarter," said Mystique. "They figured out that Emma is a telepath. It won't be long until they figure out where her mansion is. We can't hide here anymore."

"Where do you suggest we go?" asked Angel.

"There's no place for us," said Jubilee.

"There is one," said Beast. "My hideout."

The X-Men packed up and flew to the forest where Beast's hideout was located. Beast carried Madelyne's unconscious body and placed her on a bed. The X-Men unpacked and then began to cook dinner. Northstar went outside to retrieve water from a nearby well. Erg followed and grabbed the bucket from Northstar.

"Hey," said Erg. "We didn't get some time to be alone."

"Erg," said Northstar. "I'm with Sunspot now. Please don't do anything crazy."

"Crazy? Like this?" Erg passionately kissed Northstar and ran his fingers through Northstar's hair. Northstar pushed Erg away.

"Are you an idiot! I said don't!"

"I still love you, Jean-Paul. And I don't care if you're with Roberto or not. I want you to be mine!"

Suddenly, the sound of screaming came from inside. Erg and Northstar ran inside to see Polaris, Sunspot, Beast, Jubilee, Angel, Lil' Bro, Melter and Mystique floating in the air. Madelyne had woken up from her coma and had trapped the mutants in her telekinetic grip. Havok was the only one who wasn't under Madelyne's control. Madelyne spotted Erg and Northstar and used her telekinesis on them as well.

"Don't do this," said Havok.

"Don't tell me what to do, Alex," said Madelyne. "Some say I have a dangerous mind."

"You do," said Havok. "You keep trying and trying to hurt us somehow. Ten years ago you tried to come with a team to kidnap me from the school. You tried becoming Jean Grey. You tried killing Scott."

"I'm not one to give up."

"Aren't you tired? Aren't you tired of all of this? What's the point anymore? What do you have to prove?"

"I can say the same for your cause for peace. Don't you understand that this war will go on forever? The humans don't want to share the planet."

"My fights will lead to something great. I have a goal. You don't. And you know you have no goals. Want to know why? Because you didn't trap me in your telekinesis."

"I could!"

"You could but you didn't. And you didn't because you want me to help end it all. You don't want to fight for nothing anymore."

Madelyne began to cry. Havok began to energize his body, preparing to release a powerful blast of energy towards Madelyne.

"You were a good mom to me," said Havok. "And I thank you for that."

"I love you, Alex," said Madelyne. Havok released the energy blast at Madelyne. Her body burned in the powerful blast as her soul left her body. The others were released from the psychic hold and fell to the floor. Northstar and Polaris ran over to the crying Havok.

To be continued...


	31. Stories 31

**X-Men: Past, Present, Future**

"Hope! of all ills that men endure, the only cheap and universal cure," - Abraham Cowley

**Past Chapter 31: A Man in Love**

Erik parked the car and looked outside the window. It was the house he's been to before. It was Magda's house. It had been a week since he left the school. He bought an apartment and got a job at a warehouse. He walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell. Perhaps this time, Magda will take him back.

A young woman in her twenties opened the door. She was beautiful and shared the same eyes as Magda. It took Erik a few seconds to realize he wasn't staring at a young Magda but a different woman that looked very much like her.

"Hello?" asked the woman. Erik couldn't speak. "Are you here to pay your condolences? To Magda?" Erik was speechless. Did he hear those words correctly? Is Magda really dead?

"I-I-I didn't know," Erik stuttered.

"Oh, dear," said the young woman.

"How did she-," Erik couldn't finish his question.

"Breast cancer," answered the woman. "She's was fighting it for four years...what's your name?"

"Erik."

"I'm Maggie, Magda and Richard's daughter."

"Of course...you look so much like your mother."

"I get that all the time...how did you know my mother?"

"We were...we..we were good friends."

"Wait...do you spell your name with a C or a K?"

"E-R-I-K."

"Oh my God! You're Erik! Come on in, I have to show you something."

Erik entered the quaint home. It was the house that he dreamed of having if he were to marry Magda. It brought tears to his eyes as he realized Magda had built a life with everything he wished for them, except he wasn't in this life. Maggie came into the room with a shoebox. She opened the shoebox to reveal stacks of paper.

"You wrote these, didn't you?" asked Maggie.

"Yes, yes, I did," answered Erik with a smile. "I can't believe she kept them all."

"When she was sad she would read these letters," Maggie stated. "It was like a comfort for her. When my father, Richard died in the car accident six years ago, she would read these letters in bed to help her fall asleep...and then when she found out she got cancer, I would see her reading these letters from time to time to make herself feel better...you loved her didn't you?"

"I still love her."

"These letters are so romantic."

"You've read them?"

"Yeah, I did...I only found out about them when my mom got cancer...my dad would have freaked...I didn't expect you to be so handsome."

"Age has gotten to me over the years."

"Well, you still look so young..."

"Thank you."

"If you don't mind me asking, why did you come here?"

"I guess...I wanted to see your mother again...perhaps have her fall in love with me again."

"Oh, Erik, I don't think she ever stopped loving you. A woman wouldn't read these letters you sent her over and over if she didn't love you."

Maggie grabbed Erik's hand and looked deep into his eyes.

"Do you have a place to stay?" she asked.

At Xavier's mansion, Raven was packing her stuff in a suite case. Azazel knocked on the door and Raven called him to come in.

"Hey, did you want my notes for tomorrow's test?" asked Azazel.

"No, I don't need them," said Raven.

"What?" Azazel noticed the suitcase. "What are you doing?"

"I'm leaving."

"No, not you too."

"Yes, me too. I really don't want to be here anymore."

"Raven, look, I know you loved him but-"

"No! It's not that...but I agree with him. This school. It's ridiculous. All we're doing is hiding. We're not helping the mutant community at all."

"I have to agree too..."

"There's no point in staying here when people are going to continue to hate me...they'll never accept my blue skin or your red skin and tail. People will fear what's not like them."

"Let me come with you!"

"Azazel...are you sure?"

"I'm positive. I want to leave too...and also you can't go out there by yourself...it's a scary world out there."

"Ok, go pack your things. We'll leave at midnight tonight."

The two mutants left the mansion under the darkness of the night. They were leaving the life that they once knew behind. They didn't know where they were going. But they had hope for the future. A future where no one would judge them on the colour of their skin or the genes they were born with. Raven thought to herself as she walked with Azazel off the campus grounds, that perhaps she would meet Erik on her journey and maybe return to the school one day.

**Present Chapter 31: The Cure**

The jet landed on the rooftop of a corporate building in San Francisco. Angel, Jean, Beast, Kurt and the Morlocks exited the X-Jet.. Jean used her telepathy to find the area where Leech was. Everybody made their way inside the building to find themselves in a hallway leading to one single door. There were two armed security guards standing in front of the door.

"Freeze!" yelled one of the guards as both raised their hand guns to target the mutants. Jean raised her hands and used her telekinesis to pull the guns away from the guards. Kurt and Angel then punched the two guards out. The group opened the door and entered the room. It was a medical lab. In the middle of the room, measuring chemicals was Dr. Kavita Roa, the scientist who worked for Angel's dad.

"Dr. Roa?" asked Angel. "Is that you?"

"Hello, Warren," greeted Kavita.

"Where's Leech?" asked Angel.

"He's on the medical table over there," answered Kavita as she pointed to Leech. The Morlocks ran over to Leech.

"What did you do to him?" asked Callisto.

"I gave him a sleeping aid," answered Kavita. "He'll wake up in an hour or so."

"Why did you kidnap him?" asked Phat in an angry tone as he transformed into his big version.

"For hope," answered Kavita as she stood her ground. Beast gently pushed Phat out of the way which caused him to transform back into his skinny self.

"What did you want with Leech?" asked Beast.

Kavita grabbed Beast's hand and walked him over to the medical table. Suddenly, Beast's blue furry hand turned into a normal hand. Beast shed a tear as the other mutants watched in amazement.

"Leech's mutation acts as a repellant to other mutations," explained Kavita.

"He's amazing," stated Beast as he walked away from the table.

"What did you want with him?" asked Kurt.

"Like I said, hope," answered Kavita. "I believe that Leech's blood could be replicated and made into a serum. His mutation represses the X-gene, thus making them inactive in mutants, causing them to lose their mutations."

"You're trying to...make..a...cure?" asked Beast.

"That's exactly it," replied Kavita.

"That's insane!" said Jean. "There's nothing to cure. Mutation isn't a disease."

"That's exactly what Angel's father told me when I suggested the idea to him," said Kavita.

"Wait, what?" asked Angel. "My father? My father said that?"

"Yes," said Kavita. "Can't you all see that I'm just trying to help?"

"We don't need your help!" yelled Callisto.

"Yeah and we don't need your cure, either!" yelled Archlight.

Kavita stood in silence as she wiped a tear from her eye. She touched Leech's sleeping face and let out a sigh.

"I'm sorry," said Kavita. "Leech kept crying in pain when I was examining him and drawing blood from him."

"He's just a child," said Jean.

"I know," replied Kavita. "That's why I put him to sleep...but I couldn't continue with the procedure. My heart ached for him...all I want to truly do is help the mutant community. I never meant to hurt anybody."

"We're going to take the boy," said Beast. Kavita nodded.

Beast grabbed Leech and the mutants left the lab and returned to the X-Jet. The jet lifted off in the air as the mutants returned to New York.

"Can you believe that crazy woman?" asked Callisto.

"Yeah, a cure, like what the hell is she on?" mocked Erg.

"Well, not all of you would understand some complications when it comes to being a mutant," said Beast from the pilot seat.

Jean turned to Angel and looked as his face. Angel was thinking about something. Jean did not dare to enter his mind but knew exactly what he was thinking about.

"Are you ok?" asked Jean to Angel.

"I'm fine," said Angel. "Just shocked..."

"I wouldn't believe that your father said it either," said Jean. "But Kavita is a close friend of his. I trust that it's true."

"He's really changing," said Angel. "He's really changing for the better."

"Hey, Morlocks!" said Beast. "Do you want to go back to the school or back to Mutant Town?"

The Morlocks looked at each other before looking at the sleeping Leech.

"Leech has been through enough," said Phat.

"Yeah, we'll rather go back to Mutant Town," stated Archlight.

"Thank you for the offer though," said Erg.

"Well, you're welcome back anytime," said Beast.

Kurt looked over at Callisto who was smiling back at him.

"We'll be back," Callisto said as she kissed Kurt on the lips. Kurt turned around in embarrassment as the other Morlocks laughed.

**Future Chapter 31: Defense Against Mutants**

"What did you do that they can't even seem to find out where your estate is?" asked Mystique on the phone to Emma.

"The estate is under my great grandmother's name, Emma Miller," answered Mystique. "I've been avoiding taxes by using the names of my maids."

"You are something," said Mystique. "Now that Madelyne is dead, there won't be any more distractions."

"What's the next plan?"

"We're going to infiltrate the Defense Against Mutants and steal some of their files. I'm sure they have something planned that we can ruin."

"Great. Call me when you have something. Bye."

Defense Against Mutants headquarters was located on the shores of North Carolina. The X-Jet landed near the beach. Beast waited in the X-Jet as Mystique, Northstar, Melter and Jubilee made their way to the back of the building. Melter used his powers to melt the metal door to get inside the building. Mystique then transformed into a security guard and ran in one direction. Northstar, Jubilee and Melter ran in the other direction.

Northstar saw two personnel at the end of the hallway. Northstar released a flash of light that startled and disoriented the two personnel. The mutants ran passed the confused personnel on the floor and ran up the stairs. Jubilee saw a security camera in one of the corners and sent out sparks from her fingers to destroy the cameras. Melter melted a door in the hallway and the group ran into the room. It was a room full of files and computers. The group sorted through the files and took anything that seemed important.

On the other side of the building, Mystique disguised as a security guard walked into a room full of computers. Mystique untransformed herself and sat on the computer. The computer was locked with a password. Mystique attempted about seven passwords before she was successful on the eighth password. She searched through the computer and found a document that surprised her. Mystique printed out the documents and searched the computer for more information. After a few minutes, Mystique grabbed the documents and ran out of the room.

Back at Beast's hideout, the X-Men got together for a meeting. They could see that Mystique was in fear of something.

"What did you find?" asked Beast.

"This a document I printed out from one of their computers," Mystique said as she handed the pages to Beast. "They're going to drop an atomic bomb on Utopia."

"Are you serious?" asked Jubilee.

"It's all there," replied Mystique. "The bomb is going to destroy all of Utopia. The island is small enough that no one could possibly survive because it will be a direct hit."

"When are they planning to do this?" asked Havok.

"They have several dates planned depending on how fast they can make the bomb," answered Mystique. "But the closes date is in about a week from now."

"We have to warn the others," said Polaris. "Before it's too late."

"We'll call Emma right now," said Mystique. "But before that, did you find anything else?"

"Yes," said Northstar. "DAM seems to have a medical facility in Oregon. They have several mutants kept there."

"For experimentation?" asked Angel.

"That's what we thought too," said Melter. "Perhaps they're trying to revive Weapon X?"

"That's not as important as the attack on Utopia," said Mystique. "We'll worry about it later. First, I have to call Emma. Every mutant on that island has to get out of there as soon as possible."

To be continued...


	32. Stories 32

**X-Men: Past, Present, Future**

"Death may be the greatest of all human blessings," - Socrates

**Past Chapter 32: Adamantium**

Two military jeeps made their way into the forest of Japan. The jeeps parked in front of a cave and several soldiers jumped out of the jeeps. William Stryker got out from one of the jeeps, followed by Logan and Victor. Miners emerged from the cave, alongside with a distinguish Japanese business man and a young, beautiful Japanese woman.

"Mr. Oyama?" asked William Stryker as he approached the Japanese business man.

"Correct," said Mr. Oyama.

"My name is William Stryker," said Stryker. "These are my associates, Logan and Victor."

"How did you find my mine?" asked Mr. Oyama.

"Those are my secrets," answered Stryker.

"You want the adamantium, don't you?" asked Mr. Oyama.

"That's right," said Stryker.

"I can't give you the rare metal so easily," said Mr. Oyama.

"Perhaps, we can discuss this over dinner," said Stryker with a deceiving smile.

That evening, Stryker and Mr. Oyama were at a local restaurant in the heart of Okinawa. Logan and Victor stood outside with the Japanese woman, while Stryker and Mr. Oyama dined in a private room. The Japanese woman had a serious and stern composure to her, which made Logan and Victor uneasy.

"What's up with this tight-ass?" asked Victor to Logan.

"Don't insult her right in front of her," replied Logan.

"She doesn't understand what we're saying," said Victor. "Shit, I'm hungry. Why the hell do we have to stand out here, while Stryker eats like a king in there?"

"It's Japanese food," said Logan. "Not all kings like it."

"Whatever," said Victor. "When I signed up for this shit, I didn't know that I was going to be Stryker's bitch."

"You thinking about leaving?" asked Logan. "I don't think Stryker would like that."

"What the hell can Stryker do to me?"

"I overheard one of his science geeks that they're coming up with a way to control minds."

"Are you serious?"

"I'll never let Stryker control my mind."

"Yeah, neither will I...fuck this, I want food!"

Victor made his way to the door but the Japanese woman blocked Victor from opening the door.

"You're not going in," said the woman.

"So, you can speak English," said Victor. "What's your name?

"Yuriko Oyama," said the woman.

"Oyama?" asked Victor. "Like the guy in there."

"That 'guy' is my father," said Yuriko. "You're not going to disturb his meeting."

"Fine," said Victor. "Are you like his body guard or something?"

"I'll do anything to protect my father and our family business," replied Yuriko.

"Adamantium mining," stated Logan. "What's so special about adamantium?"

"I can ask your boss the same thing," replied Yuriko.

Suddenly, the door opened and Mr. Oyama stormed out of the room.

"Yuriko, we're leaving," yelled Mr. Oyama. Stryker walked out of the room with an evil smile. "I will not be a part of such experiments!"

"It's to further science and protect our nations," said Stryker.

"It is an act of defiance against nature and God!" yelled Mr. Oyama. Mr. Oyama and Yuriko made their way to the main dining area of the restaurant.

"Don't let them get away," ordered Stryker.

Logan and Victor charged into the main dining area. Victor leaped into the air and tried to grab Mr. Oyama. Suddenly, Yuriko kicked Victor in the face and he fell onto a table. Customers in the restaurant began to panic. Logan grabbed Yuriko's arm and tried to throw her. Yuriko kicked a post to prevent herself from being thrown. She then twisted Wolverine's arm and pushed him into a table. Mr. Oyama joined the other scared customers hiding in the corner.

"Use your claws, fellas," said Stryker. "Release the animal within."

Victor released his beastly claws from his nails. Logan released his three long marrow claws from his knuckles. Yuriko giggled as she revealed her long marrow claws from her nails. Stryker smiled at Mr. Oyama.

"So, this is why you didn't like my idea," said Stryker. "It's because your daughter is a mutant too."

Yuriko jumped into the air and aimed her claws at Victor's chest. Victor screamed in pain as he felt the claws dug deep into his body. Victor pushed Yuriko off and threw her into the bar. Yuriko jumped off the bar and aimed at Logan's face. Logan blocked the attack and stabbed her in the stomach. Yuriko screamed and pulled herself away. Logan and Victor looked at her wound that began to disappear. The two men realized that Yuriko had the exact same mutant powers at them; an accelerated healing factor and claws.

Logan charged at Yuriko but was kneed by her when he got close. Yuriko then stabbed her claws into Logan's back and used him as a base to do a back flip to kick Victor in the face. Yuriko then stabbed Logan's side and then kicked him into a table. Victor grabbed Yuriko's arm and tossed her into a table. Yuriko tried to slash at Victor, but Victor dodged and stabbed Yuriko with his claws in her side. Victor then threw Yuriko into a wall.

"Yuriko!" yelled Mr. Oyama. Mr. Oyama ran towards his daughter.

"Kill him!" yelled Stryker.

Logan and Victor both ran at Mr. Oyama and tried to stab him. Logan's claws missed but Victor's claws managed to stab him on the side. Yuriko opened her eyes and saw her father fall to the floor. She looked over at Logan and believed that it was his claws that killed her father. Yuriko in a rage, got up and charged at Logan. Victor used his arm to hit Yuriko in the face. Stryker then took at a tranquilizer and shot it at Yuriko. The tranquilizing dart hit Yuriko in the neck and she fell to the floor.

Stryker, Logan and Victor were in the jeeps again, going back to the mines. Logan had a feeling of guilt lingering in his mind.

"Where's Yuriko?" asked Logan.

"I sent her to the U.S to be a test subject," said Stryker.

"A mind controlling device?" asked Logan.

"That's right," said Stryker with a smile. "She'll need a mind controlling device in her because we'll know all too well, she wouldn't want to work with us."

"Why do we need adamantium?" asked Logan.

"For something very special," said Stryker. "Very special."

**Present Chapter 32: Battle of the Claws**

"Alex," called Cyclops, knocking on Alex's door. "Did you want to get some ice cream?"

"No," answered Alex from inside. Cyclops opened the door and saw Alex lying on his bed, listening to music.

"Are you sure?" asked Cyclops.

"Yeah, I'm sure," said Alex.

"Hey, look I'm sorry about that day when I said-"

"Don't," interrupted Alex. "There's no point in apologizing for the 100th time. I already forgiven you."

"You have?"

"Yeah, I forgave you last week."

"Were you going to tell me this?"

"Look, I thought it would be better to be on good terms with you. You're the only family I have."

"Well, thank you." Cyclops messed up his little brother's hair and laughed.

Storm was driving, while Wolverine and Cannonball were passengers. The car was driving into the woods. The three of them did not talk for the first hour of the car ride.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" asked Cannonball to Wolverine.

"I have to," said Wolverine. "To protect the students."

"Tell me why she wants revenge on you again," said Storm.

"She thinks I killed her father," responded Wolverine.

"Did you?" asked Storm.

"I don't remember," replied Wolverine. "But I need to fight her. Or she'll come back to the school looking for me. I don't want others to get hurt."

The car pulled over and the three mutants made their way into the woods. Wolverine sniffed the air and pointed in a direction. They then stopped in an open area surrounded by trees and rocks. Lady Deathstrike emerged from behind a tree and walked into the open area.

"Hello, Logan," said Deathstrike.

"Hello, Deathstrike," said Wolverine.

"I thought I instructed you to come alone," said Deathstrike.

"They won't get in the way," said Wolverine. "This fight is just between you and me."

"Good," said Deathstrike as she revealed her claws. "Then let's begin our fight to the death."

Deathstrike let out a battle cry as she charged at Wolverine. Wolverine dodged her attack and grabbed her arm and threw into a tree. Wolverine charged at Deathstrike with his claws. Deathstrike slashed him in the face and kicked him into a tree. Deathstrike then climbed up one of the trees. Wolverine got back up to his feet and healed himself from the injuries. Suddenly, Deathstrike jumped from the tree and landed on Wolverine's back. She then began to slit Wolverine's throat with her claws. Wolverine slammed his back onto a tree, which made Deathstrike fall off in pain. Wolverine then turned around and stabbed Deathstrike in the stomach. Deathstrike grabbed onto Wolverine's arms and twisted herself out of the grip. Deathstrike then stabbed Wolverine in his chest, kneed him in the face and then kicked him away.

"That's it!" Storm yelled as she raised herself into the air, commanding a gust of wind.

"Storm, no!" yelled Cannonball.

Deathstrike and Wolverine tried to stayed stabled as they braced the strong wind. Deathstrike climbed one of the trees and leaped forward with her claws aiming at Storm. Storm spun in the air dodging the attack and then created a blizzard. Deathstrike landed on the ground and saw Wolverine coming at her. The snow began to pile up as the two mutants blocked each other's attack and tried to claw at each other. Cannonball propelled himself into the air and tackled Storm to the ground.

"I think you've helped enough," said Cannonball.

Deathstrike and Wolverine stopped their battle and looked at each other as they tried to catch their breaths.

"It's useless," said Wolverine. "We can't kill each other. We'll just keep on healing."

"I'll cut off your head!" screamed Deathstrike. "For my father."

"Look, I don't even remember killing your father," said Wolverine. "I don't even remember you."

"You're lying!" yelled Deathstrike.

"I'm not lying. As far as I know, the first time I met you was in Alberta when the X-Men and I infiltrated Weapon X to save the mutants imprisoned there."

"Those mutants were imprisoned there by us...you really don't remember, do you? We were under Stryker's mind controlling device. He made us capture those mutants. We were Weapon X!"

"Well if that's true, then how do you know I wasn't under mind control when I killed your father?"

"Because I was the first test subject for the device! You killed my father before Stryker captured me!"

"I'm sorry but I don't remember!"

"Then remember this as the day you die!"

Deathstrike ran at Wolverine aiming her claws at his neck. Wolverine dodged the attack and stabbed Deathstrike's side. Wolverine then stabbed his claws in Deathstrike's neck and thrust his fist upwards. With the motion, Deathstrike's head ripped off from her neck, decapitating her.

Wolverine couldn't bear to look at the headless Deathstrike who's body fell to the ground. Unable to heal, the mutant twitched on the snowy ground. Storm and Cannonball looked in horror as they tried to compose themselves.

"She would have killed me that way," said Wolverine as he walked away from the scene.

The three X-Men walked got back into the car and Storm started the engine. Storm and Cannonball couldn't get the image of the headless Deathstrike out of their head. Wolverine hated himself and felt a feeling of guilt inside. The guilt got to his head and made him want to scream. He could hear Storm slightly whimpering.

"Drive!" yelled Wolverine.

"Okay..." Storm faintly replied.

The car drove away, leaving Deathstrike's headless body to decompose in the forest.

**Future Chapter 32: Emergency**

"You have to get everyone off the island!" said Mystique on the phone to Emma.

"Are you serious?" asked Emma.

"Yes! You only have a few days before they drop an atomic bomb on Utopia."

"You have the X-Jet and we can't fit everyone on the helicopters!"

"What about the ships the military gave us 10 years ago? Didn't they give us three?"

"Yes, they did...hopefully it will be enough to carry everyone."

"Round everyone up on those ships and get the hell off that island."

"Okay...we'll meet you on the Gulf of Mexico. Bye."

Emma hung up the phone and looked at Colossus and Cyclops. Colossus and Cyclops heard everything on the speaker phone. Everyone was worried.

"Prepare the ships," Emma said to Colossus. "Cyclops, you tell everyone what's going on."

Everyone on the island gathered in front of city hall to listen to the announcement from Cyclops.

"This is a time where we must not panic and we must cooperate to ensure everyone's safety. Colossus is preparing three ships for all of us to leave on. Tomorrow morning we will leave on the ships and head to Mexico. The X-Men in the U.S will meet us there and we'll go back to New York. Everyone pack up your things and get ready for the journey."

Everyone ran back to their respective homes and started packing. Some of the mutants decided to cook food to bring on the ships. They also made a dinner for the last time everyone would eat on the island.

"I'm done all my packing," said Rogue to Gambit as she sat next to him.

"Good," said Gambit as he took a bite of his chicken. "Let's just hope we're not too late."

At another table sat Iceman, Wind Dancer, Nightcrawler, Magma and Oya.

"It's funny how the last dinner is always the best tasting dinner," said Nightcrawler.

"I'm glad we're going back to the U.S," said Wind Dancer. "But I wasn't expecting it to be like this."

"I don't think anyone was expecting this," responded Iceman.

"I can't wait to see Jubilee," said Magma.

"I'm glad you two are friends again," said Oya to Magma.

"Yeah, well it's better to stay friends in times like this," said Magma who looked over at Iceman. "Right, Bobby? Isn't it better to stay friends?"

"What did I do?" asked Iceman.

"You slept with Jubilee!" said Magma. "And worse yet, you only wanted a one night stand!"

"I was lonely," said Iceman.

"You still shouldn't have hurt her," said Oya. "Don't you care about her feelings?"

"I do," said Iceman. "But I thought she knew I wasn't looking for anything serious."

"Well she didn't know," said Magma. "She ran to the U.S to get away from you! You embarrassed her badly."

"He only did it to get over Rogue," said Nightcrawler.

"What?" yelled a shock Magma, Oya and Wind Dancer.

"Thanks, man," said an annoyed Iceman to Nightcrawler.

"Bobby, that's horrible!" said Wind Dancer.

"It was a mistake ok!" defended Iceman.

"So, you're saying sleeping with Jubilee was a mistake?" asked an angered Magma.

"Yes!" Iceman yelled out. "Oh, wait..."

"You're a dickhead!" yelled Magma.

"A total douche!" yelled Wind Dancer.

"I think we should throw him in jail with the Nigerian prisoners!" yelled Oya.

"Kurt, help!" pleaded Iceman.

"Sorry, man," said Nightcrawler as he drank his beer.

At the docks, Colossus was preparing the three military ships for tomorrow's voyage. Colossus grabbed a rag to clean his hands. He then turned around to see Shadowcat standing behind him.

"Need any help?" asked Shadowcat.

"No, it's alright," said Colossus. "I'm done."

"I can't believe this is happening," said Shadowcat. "We fought so hard for this island to be our home. Now we're leaving it all behind."

"That's war," said Colossus as he threw the rag on the ground. "We better get some sleep." Colossus tried to walk by Shadowcat but she grabbed his arm to stop him. Colossus looked down to see Shadowcat's eyes staring back at him. "Kitty, we can't."

"It's been 10 years," said Shadowcat. "I'm not your student anymore."

"It will be-"

"It will be what?"

"It will be-"

"Wonderful." Shadowcat kissed Colossus on the lips. Colossus kissed back and then grabbed her shoulders. He picked Shadowcat up and pinned her on the side of the ship, passionately kissing her. This was the moment she had been waiting for.

Back in the U.S at Beast's hideout, the X-Men turned on the TV to watch breaking news.

"Just two hours ago Defense Against Mutants had discovered the estate of Emma Frost, the notorious mutant terrorist leader. After finding nothing strange in the mansion except for a large, round, metal room, DAMS bombed the estate. There is nothing left of the mansion now. In other news-"

"Unbelievable," said Sunspot.

"This situation is getting worse," said Beast. "We better hurry."

To be continued...


	33. Stories 33

**X-Men: Past, Present, Future**

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams,"- Eleanor Roosevelt

**Past Chapter 33: Dreaming of the Future**

It was 1995 and the rain poured outside the abandon warehouse. Azazel placed his red hand on Raven's forehead. The pain was over and Raven had just given birth to two babies. Raven and Azazel had been travelling the U.S and Canada for years. Nine months ago Raven had gotten pregnant by Azazel. Now the two mutants had just delivered twin babies in an abandon warehouse in Detroit. The babies were placed in a basket each and left on the doorsteps of a church. Raven felt guilty for abandoning her children but she knew she was unable to raise them in the cruel world.

It had been eight years since Erik had left the Xavier Institute. Jono, Sean and Shiro had graduated and came back to teach at the school. Fred had dropped out, unwilling to repeat another year while watching his friends go off to post-secondary. After graduating, Alison decided to pursue her dreams of becoming a pop star.

**The staff:**

Charles Xavier (age 54): Headmaster and professor of Physics.

Moira MacTaggert (age 52): Headmistress and professor of Mathematics

Emma Frost (age 54): Professor of Social Studies.

Tessa (age 60): Professor of Biology.

Hank McCoy (age 28): Professor of Chemistry.

Sean Cassidy (age 22): Professor of History.

Shiro Yoshida (age 21): Professor of Athletics

Jono Starsmore (age 21): Professor of English.

**The new students:**

Tommy Shepherd aka. Speed(age 16): Ability to run at high speeds.

Tabitha Smith aka. Boom-Boom (age 16): Able to generate energy balls released from her hands.

Xi'an (pronounced "Shan") Coy Manh aka. Karma (age 16): Telepath and body possession.

Christian Cord aka. Radian (age 15): Produces ultraviolet light from skin.

Ororo Munroe aka. Storm (age 12): Able to control the weather.

Peter Rasputin aka. Colossus (age 11): Can transform into metal a form and superhuman strength.

Dallas Gibson aka. Specter (age 12): Can transform into a shadow form and control shadows.

Petra Turin (age 11): Ability to control and manipulate earth.

"Work as a team!" Shiro yelled as the Danger Room shot lasers at Tommy, Tabitha, Xi'an and Christian. The older students ran around the room, trying to avoid being hit by the laser. The younger students watched in the observation deck.

"When will we be able to use the Danger Room?" asked Ororo.

"Not yet," said Shiro. "We'll talk when you're 14."

"That's two more years for me and Dallas!" exclaimed Ororo.

"And three more years for me!" said an excited Peter. Peter started jumping up and down he accidently transformed into metal.

"You have to learn how to control your powers first," said Shiro. Shiro looked back into the arena and got angry. "Stop running from the machine and work together to destroy it!"

Tabitha released several energy balls aiming at the machine but the energy balls missed and almost hit Tommy. Tommy used his super speed and to try to get close to the machine but the laser almost hit his leg and made him trip. Xi'an and Christian dodged a few lasers and then hid behind a wall. Xi'an used her telepathy to enter Christian's mind.

"Used your ultraviolet light to melt the machine!" said Xi'an with her telepathy.

"I can't get close enough!" said Christian.

"Boom-Boom!" said Xi'an with her mind. "Distract the machine!"

"Okay, girl!" said Tabitha as she ran towards the machine. The machine was focused on Tabitha and didn't notice Christian sneaking up behind it.

"Tommy, now!" yelled Xi'an. Tommy grabbed Tabitha and ran to a safe place. Christian used his ultraviolet light and touched the machine, causing an intense heat that melted it. Tabitha then shot an energy ball at the machine and it broke into pieces.

"We did it!" said a happy Tommy.

Upstairs in Charles' office, Charles and Moira were drinking coffee and discussing the news.

"That Robert Kelly guy is getting more and more popular," said Moira. "I wonder if he would ever run for president."

"Let's hope mutant rights will be granted before that happens," said Charles. "By the way, I received a letter from Alison. She says she's been offered a recording contract."

"Oh, how exciting for her," said Moira. "Maybe she'll be famous one day!"

"She'll be a good role model for future students," responded Charles.

"Now, Charles, you can't expect her to come out as a mutant," said Moira. "She's trying to build a career."

"It saddens me that she has to hide such an important part of herself from the world."

"We're hiding too you know."

"Yes, I suppose we are. One day we'll come out to the public and we'll be accepted."

"Charles, you are such a dreamer."

"A better future is all I dream of."

**Present Chapter 33: Student Battle Tournament**

"Today is a special day," said Colossus to the senior and junior high students who were all gathered in the Danger Room. "Today is the annual Student Battle Tournament."

It was a Saturday morning and everyone was in the Danger Room. The teachers, the younger students as well as returning students, Karma, Boom-Boom, Radian, Petra and Speed came to watch the tournament in the observation deck. Emma Frost and the Stepford Cuckoos also came to watch.

"Did you just get back from Egypt?" asked Jean to Petra.

"Yes," answered Petra. "We uncovered an ancient tomb there."

"How exciting," said Jean. "And what about you, Xi'an? Weren't you just in Australia?"

"Yes," said Karma. "It's good to take a vacation once in a while and not have to worry about the stock market."

"You didn't bring your husband, Tabitha?" asked Storm to Boom-Boom.

"Not today," said Boom-Boom. "I told him he's going to have to stay home and take care of the kids."

"What about you Christian?" asked Cyclops. "No kids today either?"

"The kids and the wife went to see the grandparents in Orlando," answered Christian.

"I wonder if I still got the drive to battle," said Speed. "I use to kick all of your asses back when we were students."

"Yeah, right Tommy," said Radian. "You couldn't even get a scratch on me back then."

"I bet I can get a few scratches on you now!" challenged Speed.

"Stick to repairing cars, mister!" laughed Radian.

Over at the corner, Emma and Professor X sat together.

"I told you this was a good idea," said Emma. "It's an annual thing now."

"It's a tradition, yes," said Professor X. "But frankly, I don't see any appeal in pitting the students against each other. There's always an underlying rivalry and resentment between some."

"Yes, but it's good training for real missions, Charles," defended Emma. "You have to remember that we're not always fighting against humans with their guns. Mutants like the Brotherhood are out there and we have to know how to fight against them."

"The rules are simple," explained Colossus. "You're always going to wear special suits designed by Beast."

"The suits have a little force field around them," said Beast. "When you get hit, you won't get hurt but you will be easily pushed."

"Each battle will take place in this arena," said Colossus. "Just like Japanese sumo wrestling, the point is to push your opponent out of the ring. Try to be tactic and use your powers defensively and offensively. Let's try to be nice and not get too nasty."

"Who's up first?" asked Julian.

"The juniors," replied Colossus. "Aisha vs. Victor."

Everybody got ready to watch the first battle. Colossus blew the whistle and Aisha changed into her invisible form. Victor looked around but couldn't see Aisha. Suddenly, his arm was snatched and he was thrown outside of the ring. Aisha turned back to her visible form, jumping up and down in joy. The other students cheered and laughed.

"Yay, Cipher!" said Thomas.

"Victor is such a loser," said Chris.

"Yeah, he can be such a fag," said Theresa.

"I know what you mean," said Chris. "Just because he's gay doesn't mean he should be weak. Look at Jean-Paul, he's gay but he's totally cool."

"Yeah, Victor is just a little pansy," said Thomas. Victor overheard the comments and ran out of the Danger Room without anyone noticing.

These were the results over the next two hours:

**Junior High Level Students:**

Thomas vs. Theresa. Winner: Thomas

Chris vs. Melody. Winner: Draw. Two seconds into the battle, Cannonball interfered and wouldn't allow Melody to fight.

**Senior High Level Students:**

Jamie vs. Alex. Winner: Alex

Sofia vs. Jean-Paul. Winner: Sofia

Kitty vs. Armando. Winner: Kitty

Idie vs. Max. Winner: Idie.

Julian vs. Roberto. Winner: Roberto

"The last two battles is Jubilee vs. Amara and Jeanne-Marie vs. Sooraya," announced Colossus.

Colossus blew the whistle. Jubilee sent an electric blast at Amara's foot. Amara transformed into fire and ran at Jubilee with a fist. Jubilee dodged and released another electric shock at Amara. Amara tripped and quickly turned around and shot lava at Jubilee. The two girls weren't friends anymore and they were taking their anger out in the arena. Jubilee released a wave of electricity that missed Amara. The electricity sparked across the room and was heading towards Emma and Professor X.

Emma stood up and changed her body into a solid diamond form. The electricity bounced off her and hit the wall. Everybody in the observation deck were shocked at the sight of Emma's diamond form.

"Emma?" said a surprised Professor X.

"What happened to you?" asked Beast.

"Last year I discovered I had a secondary mutation," answered Emma. "It's nothing to worry about. It's simply diamond."

"You should let me examine you," said Beast.

"There's no need," said Emma as she transformed back to her regular self. "I'm content with myself. Besides, diamonds are a girl's best friend, so I guess that means I'm my own best friend."

Back in the arena, Amara ran close to Jubilee and then attacked with a blast of fire. Jubilee ducked and zapped Amara's foot. Amara fell out of the ring and Colossus blew the whistle. Jubilee was the winner. Max ran to the fallen Amara and the two embraced in a hug. Jubilee rolled her eyes and grabbed her water bottle.

Colossus blew his whistle. Sooraya turned into her sand form and flew around the arena. Sooraya flew right pass Jeanne-Marie getting sand in her hair and face. The girls were worried about the battle between Sooraya and Jeanne-Marie because they still had issues with each other. Jeanne-Marie stood her ground and released a blinding light. Everybody squinted, unable to look at the light Jeanne-Marie was producing. The light confused Sooraya and she turned back into her human form and fell to the ground. Jeanne-Marie, while still producing the light, punched and kicked Sooraya.

"Take that bitch!" yelled Jeanne-Marie. She was releasing her rage upon the girl she bullied.

"Jeanne-Marie, no!" yelled Jean-Paul who was the only one able to see through the light. Jean-Paul jumped from his seat and tackled his sister to the ground. The light disappeared and everybody saw Jean-Paul pinning his sister to the ground. Colossus and Sofia helped Sooraya get up on her feet. Armando and Kitty helped Jean-Paul calm his sister down.

Up in the observation deck, Professor X gave Emma an "I told you so" look. Emma rolled her eyes.

**Future Chapter 33: Leaving Utopia**

The sun rose on the island of Utopia. The mutants were boarding the three military ships, preparing to leave the island for good. The island had been a safe haven for mutants for a decade. Now they were leaving the only place they could call home.

Emma got off the phone with Mystique and made her way down to the docks carrying one suit case in her hand. She looked at the buildings that mutants built. She looked at the statue of Charles and Erik that stood in the town square. Utopia was truly a home for mutants.

After two hours, all 20,000 mutants boarded the three ships. The ships drew back their anchors and left the docks. The island got smaller and smaller as the ships travelled farther and farther away. Many mutants were unable to fight off their tears.

Gambit and Rogue watched as the island disappeared from sight. Gambit put his arm around Rogue's shoulder and gently kissed her hair.

"We weren't on that island for as long as others here were," said Rogue. "But I feel a connection to the island."

"I think we all do," commented Gambit. "It's the island that we claimed for ourselves."

"When will this war be over?" asked Rogue.

"I don't know...I really don't know."

Inside another ship, Oya, Wind Dancer and Psylocke were guarding the Nigerian prisoners who were chained together. Oya didn't like the idea of taking the prisoners with them, but Emma made the decision to spare their lives.

"This is ridiculous!" said Oya. "We should have left them their to die!"

"These humans don't deserve to die in a war that they are not a part of," said Wind Dancer.

"Yes they do!" said Oya. "Selling me to Weapon X when I was a child. Doing all these horrible things to me and my mother. Burning my village and killing so many people! They are a part of the war!"

"They were just following Abassi's orders," said Psylocke.

"It doesn't matter!" yelled Oya.

"It does matter," said one of the prisoners. "We knew what we were doing was wrong. But Abassi promised us food and protection for our families if we followed him."

"So, you sold your souls!" yelled Oya.

"Yes we did," replied another prisoner. "And we are sorry that we did."

"You don't have to accept our apologies," said another prisoner. "Just know that we are grateful to be on this ship with you."

"I'll believe it when I die," said Oya as she stormed out.

On another ship, Cyclops was communicating with Colossus through radio waves.

"We're about an hour away from the Gulf of Mexico," said Colossus.

"We're so close," replied Cyclops. "Can you communicate with Mystique yet?"

"I can't get a signal just yet," said Colossus. "I'll tell you when I'm able to."

"Okay, sounds good," said Cyclops.

On the beaches in the Gulf of Mexico, the X-Jet stood. Beast and Mystique were waiting for contact with the three ships. The other X-Men stood on the beach, sitting around waiting for the ships to come.

"We were only in America for a few weeks," said Northstar. "And now everyone on Utopia are coming back. Doesn't it seem like we're just going backwards?"

"Yeah it does," said Havok. "But maybe going backwards is a way to move forward."

"What?" asked a confused Lil'Bro.

"Going back to another lover would be a good idea?" said Erg as he looked at Northstar. Sunspot overheard the comment and grabbed Northstar and pushed Erg away.

"Stay away from him," said Sunspot.

"Oh, over protective much?" asked Erg. "I thought that was one of the reasons why Jean-Paul broke up with you before."

"Stop fighting you two," said Polaris. "We have to concentrate on the ships coming."

"Hey, I think I see them!" said Jubilee.

"Where?" asked Angel.

"Right there, see?" said Jubilee as she pointed to a few ships off in the distance.

"Those can't be the ships," said Angel. "There are like seven of those and we're only looking for three."

"And those ships are going the other way," said Melter. "That's strange."

Angel flew into the air to get a better view of the ships. Angel then gasped and flew back to the ground and ran into the X-Jet.

"We have a problem," said Angel.

"What is it?" asked Mystique.

"We spotted naval ships heading out into the sea," answered Angel.

"You don't think..." Beast couldn't finish his sentence.

"They must know," said Angel. Beast fiddled with switches.

"What are you doing?" asked Mystique.

"We have to warn Emma!" said Beast.

"We haven't connected yet," said Mystique.

"We have to try or they could all be captured and killed!" yelled Beast.

Beast connected a few wires and then grabbed the microphone. "Hello, hello? Is anyone there? Hello? This is Hank! Colossus? Cyclops? Storm? Can anyone hear me?" Mystique, Angel and Beast fell silent. The other X-Men entered the X-Jet and could sense the urgency in the room. Everyone was on edge as they waited for an answer.

"-Beast?" It was Storm's voice.

"Storm!" yelled Beast. "Where are you?"

"We're about 40 minutes away," answered Beast. "Maybe you can see us."

"Storm, listen to me," said Beast. "They know. DAMS knows that you left the island. They're heading out to sea to get you. You have to warn the other ships!"

"Oh, my God! Ok!" a worried Storm answered.

Storm ran out of the control room of the ship and flew across the other ship. She warned Colossus and then flew to the third ship to warn Cyclops and Emma.

"This is bad," said Colossus. "This is real bad."

"I think I see them," said Shadowcat pointing outwards at sea.

Storm flew into the air and started to create a rain storm in the area where the ships were. The mutants watched, anticipating for danger. Storm commanded thunder and lightning around the area. Suddenly, one of the enemy ships launched a torpedo.

"Storm, watch out!" yelled Cyclops. The torpedo nearly missed Storm and exploded in the air. Storm fell from the sky. Cannonball propelled his body into the air to catch Storm before she fell into the ocean.

"Another one's coming!" yelled Wolverine.

Dr. Cecile Reyes used her powers to create a giant force field around all three ships. The torpedo hit the force field and exploded.

"I can't hold the force field for a long time," said Cecile. "It hurts every time they hit it."

"We have to lose them," said Quill.

"It's too late," said Hellion. "They have us where they want us. We have to fight back!"

Three more torpedoes hit the force field and Cecile fell to the ground, unable to take the impact. A fourth torpedo hit the side of one of the ships. The weapon destroyed the corner of the ship and killed several mutants in its path. Nigthcrawler teleported to the attacked ship and teleported some of the mutants to a safe ship. Pixie used her teleportation to save some of the mutants too. Hellion led a team of telekinetic mutants to used their powers to move mutants to safe ships.

"There near!" yelled Quill. The naval ships bumped into the two safe ships. Soldiers boarded the mutant ships and pointed guns at the mutants.

"Don't move!" yelled the soldiers.

"We're not going down without a fight!" yelled Magma as she turned her body into lava.

"I don't think so!" said the captain of the naval ships. The captain threw a gas bomb near Magma and it released a strange gas that made her change back into the her regular form.

Suddenly, a bunch of the gas bombs were thrown onto the ships and the mutants started coughing and wheezing. Emma tried to change into her diamond form but she was unable to. Mutants able to fly were unable to get into the air.

"The gas that you're breathing in represses your mutant gene," said the captain. "You can't use your powers for several hours."

The soldiers began to apprehend all the mutants and force them onto the naval ships. One soldier was being rough with Oya, who was trying to resist. Suddenly, one of the prisoners kicked the soldier in the stomach.

"You leave her alone!" yelled the prisoner.

"She's been through enough!" yelled another prisoner. Oya was surprised by the way the prisoners tried to protect her. She realized that the men were only evil because of Abassi.

"You people make me sick!" said another prisoner. The soldiers then shot all the prisoners who were trying to protect Oya.

"No!" Oya cried out in tears as she looked at the dead bodies of the prisoners.

On the other ship, two soldiers brought Emma to the captain.

"Ah, the notorious mutant terrorist, Emma Frost," said the captain. "In handcuffs and unable to do anything."

"How did you find us?" asked Emma.

"We were spying on you using DAM's state of the art satellites," answered the captain. "We saw your ships leaving the island, which by the way is inhabitable now. We dropped an atomic bomb on it just two hours ago."

"Bastards!" yelled Emma. The captain slapped Emma in the face and walked away.

On the naval ships, mutants were being hand cuffed and chained together. Toad tried to release his long tongue, but was unable to. Toad looked up in the sky and saw a familiar sight. It was the X-Jet.

The ships rocked back and forth and everyone stumbled and fell over. Polaris was using her magnetic power to cause the ship to be unstable. Havok then released an energy blast at some of the soldiers. The soldiers fired their guns but Polaris stopped them with her magnetic power. Northstar, Angel, Jubilee, Beast, Melter, Lil' Bro, Erg and Sunspot saved a few mutants. However, the naval ships began to leave with the majority of the mutants. One of the ships then fired a torpedo at the ship the X-Men were on. The mutants quickly got onto the X-Jet and flew away. The torpedo destroyed the ship.

The mutants saved were Cipher, Nightcrawler, Gambit, Rogue, Hellion, Pixie, Quill and Magma. Beast flew the X-Jet to safety but like the rest of the X-Men, felt frustrated and guilty for not being able to save the other mutants.

"We have to save the others!" yelled Pixie.

"Don't worry, we will," said Beast. "Mystique allowed herself to be captured. She has a comm. device on her. She'll tell us where they're taking them and we'll be able to save them soon."

To be continued...


	34. Stories 34

**X-Men: Past, Present, Future**

"Our prime purpose in life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them." - Dalai Lama

**Past Chapter 34: Cuckoo Babies**

It was 1996 and the X-Jet flew in the air heading towards Phoenix, Arizona. Tessa had a reoccurring uneasy feeling that she believed was the "force". She sensed the immense power coming from a ranch.

"Are you sure about Phoenix?" asked Sean to Tessa.

"I'm positive," said Tessa.

"You didn't have to come with us you know," said Jono. "Professor X doesn't even come on missions anymore."

"I thought it would be best," said Tessa. "I'm the only one who can locate 'the force'."

"Well, Selene can," said Shiro. The students in the back overheard.

"Who's this Selene?" asked Xi'an.

"Yeah, is she a part of that Hellfire Club you've talked about?" asked Tommy.

"Selene is the leader of the club," answered Shiro. "The club is a criminal organization that tries to support mutant affairs by doing illegal things. They're also looking for the force."

"What's this force?" asked Tabitha.

"Something very, very powerful," answered Tessa. "I've been sensing it for years but I couldn't locate it. But now I feel a psychic power that might be the force."

"Well, if this Selene woman can sense it too, then do you think the Hellfire Club will be there?" asked Christian.

"I'm sure they will be," said Tessa. "We have to prepare ourselves."

Shiro landed the X-Jet on an empty field next to a ranch. The X-Men got out of the jet and made their way towards the ranch. Suddenly, a scream was heard from one of the barns. The X-Men ran towards the barn and heard voices coming from within. The voices came from the Hellfire Club who were terrorizing the family who owned the ranch.

"Quintuplet daughters," said Riptide. "Impressive."

"What do you want from us?" asked the wife, gripping her husband's arm. Five identical daughters stood quietly behind the couple.

"Your daughters are powerful mutants," said Benedict.

"What?" said the confused husband. "What are you talking about? My daughters are only two years old. They are not mutants!"

"Selene senses they are," said Angel. "They're so powerful, they must be the force. Right, Selene?" Angel looked over at Selene who was deep in thought. "What's wrong?"

"We're not alone," said Selene who nodded at Benedict.

Benedict reached out his arm at the barn doors and used his powers of nerve system manipulation to pull Christian and Jono into the barn. The rest of the X-Men quickly followed and tried to pull Christian and Jono away from Benedict's grip.

"X-Men!" yelled Riptide and Angel.

"Well, we haven't seen you in years," said Selene as she nodded Benedict to release his grip on Christian and Jono.

"We can say the same for you," said Sean.

"You're all grown up now," said Selene.

"And you're an old hag now," Sean insulted.

"You want the girls don't you?" asked Selene. "Well, you can't have them! The force is ours!"

Selene used her telepathy to give the X-Men headaches that made them fall to their knees. Xi'an used her telepathy to block Selene's attack and then used her power of body possession to make Selene stop the attack. Angel charged at the group, but was quickly stopped by Sean's scream. The family tried to sneak out of the barn but Riptide blocked the exit with a mini tornado. Tommy used his super speed to run to Benedict, Riptide, Angel and Selene to punch and kick them. Benedict stopped Tommy's nerves, preventing him from being able to run. Tabitha shot a few energy balls at Angel, who countered attack by shooting fireballs from her mouth. Shiro shot a flame of fire at Riptide, who extinguished the flame with a tornado. Christian ran to Benedict with a fist, but Benedict stopped Christian and made both his feet fall asleep. Tessa used her telekinesis to throw stacks of hay at Angel and Selene. Suddenly, the quintuplet girls' eyes started to glow. The X-Men and Hellfire Club stopped fighting and looked at the girls.

"They're using their powers together!" exclaimed Tessa. Everyone in the barn began to float in the air. Farm equipment and hay stacks were also lifted.

"These girls are powerful!" yelled Selene as she tried to counterattack them. "My powers can't stop them!" The structure of the barn ripped apart and the whole barn began to float in the air.

"Girls, stop it!" said the wife to her daughters.

"I can't even posses their bodies!" Xi'an stated.

The girls let out a gasp and suddenly the barn flipped upside down in midair. The barn then twisted and flipped right side up. The barn tossed to the sides, causing everyone to be thrown around. The girls then looked at Selene with an angry face. Suddenly, Selene, Angel, Riptide and Benedict were thrown out of the barn and sent flying in the air. The barn then crashed to the ground.

"Girls!" cried the wife as she ran to pick up her daughters who fainted.

"They really are mutants," realized the husband.

"Come with us!" said Jono. "We have to get you and your daughters away from here before the Hellfire Club comes back!"

The X-Men and the family got onto the X-Jet and flew to New York to safety.

**Present Chapter 34: Idie's Past**

It was night time and everyone at the school was asleep. The school was completely silent. It was a time of peace that the students and X-Men enjoyed. One of the rooms on the third floor was shared by Idie and Amara.

Idie was tossing and turning in her sleep. In her dreams, she was running in a jungle. Running away from someone. She was scared and lost. Suddenly, a hand grabbed her shoulder and she was thrown onto the ground. The jungle floor became a dirt floor and she was in a hut. A woman's scream could be heard in the background. Suddenly, two pure white eyes stared at Idie, which frighten her.

Outside of Idie's dream, half of the room became extremely hot. Amara's mutation made her immune to the heat. Next door was Lorna's and Sooraya's room. Sooraya felt the heat from Idie and Amara's room creep in. Sooraya woke up because of the intense heat and woke Lorna up. The other half of Idie's bedroom became extremely cold. The intense cold temperature crept into the room on the other side of Idie's room. That room belonged to Max, Julian, Armando and Jamie who all woke up when they felt the cold. Amara woke up when she heard knocking at the door. She quickly got up and opened the door.

"Amara, are you ok?" asked Max.

"I'm ok," said Amara. "What's wrong?"

"Our room felt extremely cold and the cold was coming from your room," stated Julian.

"That's weird," said Sooraya. "We felt hotness coming from your room into our room." Everybody looked at the sleeping Idie who was tossing and turning in her bed. Amara ran up to Idie and shook her.

"Idie, wake up!" yelled Amara. Armando and Lorna tried to help wake Idie up.

Suddenly, Idie woke up and screamed.

"It's ok, Idie!" said Amara.

"It was just a nightmare," said Lorna as she tried to comfort the girl.

"Your powers were acting up while you were dreaming," said Armando.

Storm and Wolverine ran into the room.

"What's wrong?" asked Wolverine.

"It was just a nightmare," said Idie as she calmed herself down.

"It has to be more than a nightmare," said Jamie. "She was using her powers in her sleep!"

"No, it was just a dream!" yelled Idie. Storm looked into Idie's eyes and could see that the girl was distraught.

"Tomorrow morning, come see me in my office," said Storm.

The next morning, Idie sat in Storm's office looking out the window. It was raining outside, which made it a calm morning for the students and staff. Storm took a sip of coffee from her mug. Only the sound of rain could be heard.

"Did you want to tell me what happened?" asked Storm.

"You know what happened," answered Idie. "It was just a dream."

"This was more than a dream," said Storm. "What was the dream about?"

"I don't want to say," said Idie.

"I can help you, Idie. Whatever you're afraid of. Whatever you're trying to forget. I can help you."

"You can't help me. It's already too late."

"What's already too late?"

"I don't want to say!"

"Tell me so I can help you free yourself from whatever it is that is keeping you enslaved!"

"I can't...I just can't! You won't understand!" Idie started to cry.

"What won't I understand?" Storm asked as she sat next to Idie on the couch, trying to comfort her. "Is it about being captured by Weapon X?"

"No," said Idie as she wiped away her tears. "Before Weapon X took me, my village in Nigeria-we were attacked by a group of rebels. The rebels burned our houses, killed many of the men and raped the women...they raped my mother and they forced me to watch..."

"Honey, I'm so sorry," Storm said as she held Idie close.

"The leader of the group was named Abassi...he was an evil man...him and his men took turns on my mother...and then after he was done with my mother, he-he-he raped me! He raped me! He raped me! He took my virginity. I was only 14. I told him to stop but he wouldn't stop...he then ordered the men to kill my mother...her blood...it was everywhere...and then they took me with them...I became their sex slave for a year...then they sold me to Weapon X..."

"Idie, I never knew," said Storm. "I'm so sorry this happened to you. I wish I could make it go away."

Idie sobbed and sobbed as Storm held her tightly. The rain continue to fall throughout the day. After dinner, the rain stopped and the students were in the library studying for upcoming exams.

"A is 7.5 and B is 9.8," said Max to Amara.

"No, that can't be right," said Amara.

"I think A is 7.2 and B is 10.8," stated Julian.

"Yeah, that sounds right!" said Amara.

"Ok, believe him and not your boyfriend," said Max.

At another table, Lorna and Alex were studying for Physics. Alex kept touching Lorna's lap and sniffing her hair.

"It smells like coconut," said Alex.

"Stop smelling my hair and focus on Physics," said Lorna as she pushed Alex away.

"Don't bother," said Jean-Paul as he sat down next to Alex. "This guy won't focus on school work. All he does is flirt and flirt."

"Hey, I'm getting a B in Physics," defended Alex. "I think I'm ok. Besides, I only flirt with Lorna and you. Because you two are so hot!" Alex grazed his fingers on Jean-Paul's chest.

"Flirting with me in front of your girlfriend," commented Jean-Paul. "You just keep getting better and better."

"Where's Roberto?" asked Lorna.

"Yeah, where is he?" asked Alex. "Did you two break up?"

"No," replied Jean-Paul. "He's just in his room studying. He doesn't like to study with other people. Not even with me...Hey, Lorna how come you didn't participate in the battle tournament last week?"

"I asked Colossus if I could skip out and just do my homework instead," said Lorna. "Since I came to this school later than all of you, I had a ton of studying I had to do."

"Well, we're glad you're here," said Jean-Paul.

"Aww," said Alex. "My girlfriend and my best friend are bonding. I'm the luckiest mutant on Earth."

"Shut up and do the next question!" said Lorna.

Armando was studying with Jamie when he spotted Idie from outside the library, walking up the stairs. Armando excused himself and caught up to Idie.

"Hey, Idie," Armando called out.

"Hey, Armando," said Idie.

"Are you ok?" asked Armando. "Last night was pretty scary."

"I'm ok," said Idie. "Thanks for caring."

"I just don't want to see you hurt or scared," said Armando. "I wanted to have lunch with you today but I guess you were busy with Storm."

"Yeah, I was. But we can have lunch tomorrow."

"Ok, sounds good. Oh and please start calling me by my codename now. It's Darwin, because you know I can adapt and stuff."

"Okay," said Idie as she smiled. "You should start calling me Oya then."

**Future Chapter 34: Injections**

"Describe to me what you see," said Beast into the communication device.

"We're in prison cells," answered Mystique with her communication device. "I don't know where we are."

"The computer says you're located in Alaska," said Beast. "Have they done anything to you yet?"

"No, not yet," replied Mystique. "We've just been in these prison cells for about two hours. They sprayed us with that gas again, preventing us from using our powers. When we get everyone out of here we have to figure out where they're producing these gas bombs and destroy the source."

"Ok," said Beast. "Don't turn off the . We're going to use its GPS to find your exact location."

"Get here soon," said Mystique.

Mystique gave the communication device to Emma to put in her pocket. The mutants were crammed in the prison cells like animals. A lot of them were extremely afraid and looked to the X-Men for guidance. Unfortunately, even the X-Men were helpless.

"When will they be here?" asked Shadowcat to Mystique.

"Soon," said Mystique.

"Don't lose hope," said Colossus as he held Shadowcat's hand. Emma looked over at Cyclops.

"You know you don't have to wear your sunglasses anymore," said Emma. "Your powers won't work."

"Only temporary," replied Cyclops. "That's why they keep spraying us with that gas. I don't want it to be too late and have my lasers come back and destroy everything."

In another cell, Storm, Wolverine, Cannonball, Wind Dancer, Oya, Psylocke and Iceman sat. The mutants sat with 40 other mutants in the cell.

"All 20,000 of us captured and put into cells like barn animals," commented Wind Dancer.

"Actually there's only 17,238 of us now," said Psylocke. "That's the number I got telepathically before they sprayed us with the gas back on the ships. The torpedo that hit one of the boats killed a lot of the mutants."

"Wow," said Iceman. "They're just trying to get rid of us slowly."

"It's genocide," responded Cannonball.

"Hey, don't worry," said Wolverine. "There's still a lot of mutants living in the U.S and the rest of the world. They can't eliminate us all."

"They must be thinking of a way to," said Oya. "Cannonball is right. It's not a war anymore, it's a genocide."

"Hey," said Storm. "Don't think of it that way. We're still fighting back. And we're fighting back then it is a war. And there is hope."

The jail cell door opened and three security guards came in and grabbed Wind Dancer and Cannonball and forced them out of the cell.

"Hey, let go of me!" yelled Cannonball.

"Where are you taking us?" asked a scared Wind Dancer.

"Where are you taking them?" asked Storm as she tried to get the guard to let go of Wind Dancer. The guard hit Storm on the head with a baton and she fell into Wolverine's arms.

Soon more and more guards came and took mutants out of their cells. About 25 mutants were taken, including Toad, Mystique and Dust. The mutants were put into a room where masked men and women in doctor's uniforms stood with injection needles full of red fluid.

"What are you going to do to us?" asked Dust. One of the guards held onto Dust as one of the doctors injected Dust with a needle.

"No!" yelled Mystique. Suddenly, a guard held Mystique as she got injected.

"What is this?" asked an angry Toad as he got injected.

"Please, no!" yelled Wind Dancer.

One by one, the 25 mutants got injected. They were then sent back into their holding cells and the guards left.

"What did they do to you?" asked Emma to Mystique.

"I don't know," replied Mystique. "But whatever they did, I'm afraid they might have won the war."

To be continued...


	35. Stories 35

**X-Men: Past, Present, Future**

"I wish they would only take me as I am." - Vincent Van Gogh

**Past Chapter 35: Mutant Children**

At the X-Mansion, everybody was gathered in the living room with the Cuckoo family. It had been a few hours since the X-Men and the Cuckoo family escaped the Hellfire Club and returned to the school grounds. Mr. and Mrs. Cuckoo were frazzled and worried.

"I'm sorry," said Mr. Cuckoo. "We're just not ready for something like this. We're still simple farming folk."

"We understand," said Charles.

"What did they want?" asked Mrs. Cuckoo.

"The Hellfire Club believe there's a powerful being in the world known as 'the force'," replied Charles. "They want to find the force and use it as a weapon to push their own agenda."

"So, our girls are the force?" asked Mrs. Cuckoo.

The X-Men looked at Tessa who had her eyes closed, trying to sense the force. Tessa opened her eyes and shook her head.

"It appears that your daughters are not the force," said Charles. "But they are powerful psychics. Together their powers are so strong, that they could easily be mistaken for the force."

"They're all Class 5 mutants," said Tessa.

"I can't believe this," said Mrs. Cuckoo. "I thought giving birth to five babies at once was hard enough, but now to find that they're powerful mutants..."

"It's going to be ok," said Mr. Cuckoo as he comforted his wife. "What do you think we should do? The Hellfire Club could want to kidnap our daughters again."

"They'll eventually realize that your daughters aren't the force," said Emma. "But you're right. They could want revenge on you or still kidnap them because of their immense power."

"What should we do then?" asked Mr. Cuckoo.

"You should live here in New York so we can protect you," said Sean.

"Yeah, that's a good idea," added Shiro.

Mr. and Mrs. Cuckoo looked at each other and frowned.

"I'm sorry, but we can't do that," said Mrs. Cuckoo. "Our lives are in Phoenix. We're not made for the city life of New York."

"Maybe your children can stay," suggested Moira. "We can help them develop and control their powers."

"I don't think we can take in children that young," said Charles. "And away from their mother and father."

"At least take some time to think about it," said Moira to the parents. "We have to protect your daughters."

Everybody left Mr. and Mrs. Cuckoo alone to think about the decision. The X-Men knew it would be a difficult decision for them to make. After an half hour, the X-Men returned to the living room.

"So, what have you decided?" asked Charles.

"After talking it over," replied Mrs. Cuckoo. "We believe that it would be best for you to raise our girls and protect them from danger."

"After all, we have no idea on how to raise mutant children," said Mr. Cuckoo.

"Well, if that's what you want then I guess we'll have to do as you wish," said Charles.

"Why don't we just assign someone to the girls?" asked Hank.

"Who did you have in mind?" asked Jono.

"Emma should raise them," suggested Hank. "She's a powerful telepath who could raise the girls."

Everyone looked at Emma, who had a stunned face.

"Sugar, you got to be kidding," said Emma.

"Hank's right, Emma," said Charles. "You still have your mansion. You could raise the girls there."

"It's the best option," said Moira.

Emma sighed and then shrugged.

"Why not?" said Emma. "I'll raise the girls." Everyone cheered. Mrs. Cuckoo hugged Emma. "You can visit them anytime. I'll pay for your tickets. And I'll pay for their air fare to visit you two on the ranch."

"We are so grateful," said Mrs. Cuckoo.

"Yes, you are our savior," said Mr. Cuckoo.

At the other side of the city, Erik made his way down an apartment hallway and knocked on an apartment door. The door opened to reveal Maggie to be the occupant of the apartment.

"Erik!" exclaimed Maggie. Erik pushed himself into the apartment and slammed the door shut.

"So, this is where you have been," said Erik.

"Erik, I'm sorry, I-I-,"

"You've been hiding from me. I meet you, we make love, we live together at your parent's old house, then all of sudden you leave without any warning. You made me worried sick for you. I fell in love with you, Maggie and you just disappear from my life."

"You were in love with my mother, Magda...you just wanted a replacement."

"That's not true! I love you for who you are! You're the one who didn't love me. Is it because I'm what you fear?"

"I don't fear mutants! I support them completely."

"Then why did you leave?"

"I left because..."

"Because why?"

"Because..."

"Tell me!" Erik screamed as metal pots and pans rattled in the kitchen.

"Because I was pregnant with your child!"

"What?"

"I was pregnant! And I was scared! I didn't want a child! I didn't want to be a mother...I left so you wouldn't know...then I gave her away...the adopted parents named her Lorna. She has a better life now...I just couldn't..."

"You couldn't bear to raise a mutant."

"No, that's not it!"

"Of course it is! It's always down to race, skin colour...mutation!"

"No, it's not true! I just wasn't ready for a baby!"

"You gave away my only family!" Erik screamed as he reached his hand out towards the kitchen to move a knife that stabbed Maggie in her heart. Maggie fell to the ground and bled to death. Erik shed a tear and then left the apartment as Maggie's eyes closed.

**Present Chapter 35: Magneto's Great Escape**

"Hey, Rob!" said a prison ward officer to Rob, another prison ward officer.

"Hey!" greeted Rob as he walked into the mutant prison facility.

Rob was the regular average Joe. He wasn't attractive or fit, but he was a fun loving guy who enjoyed his job of taunting and tormenting imprisoned mutants. Rob walked into an office and greeted his boss, Sally.

"Morning, Sally," greeted Rob as he made himself a cup of coffee.

"Morning, Rob," said Sally. "You got the island today."

"Shit, the island?" said Rob as he took a sip of his coffee. "That place is such a pain in the ass. One building on an island just for one mutant."

"One dangerous mutant," replied Sally. "You should be honored we trust you with such an important mutant. Now get on the ferry and bring him his breakfast."

Rob grabbed a tray of food placed in a plastic container. Rob went through a metal detector before getting on a ferry that made its way to a small island. On the island had a plastic building. Rob had to be examined through another metal detector before the guards on the island allowed him into the building. Rob went into the building and once again went through another metal detector. Rob finally made it to the plastic walkway that led into the plastic prison that Magneto was kept in. Rob placed the tray of food on the plastic table as Magneto got up from his bed and looked at Rob in the eyes. Rob's eyes suddenly flashed yellow.

"Finally," said Magneto. "What took you so long?"

"I got caught up in a Sisterhood," said Rob as he transformed into Mystique. "Of course, to get into the X-Mansion to find out where exactly you were being held."

"So, what's the plan?" asked Magneto.

"Follow behind me slowly," said Mystique. "I'll get rid of the guards."

Mystique ran out of the plastic cell and knocked the guards out. Magneto slowly followed behind. The two mutants found themselves outside of the building, looking across the lake.

"Ah, the scent of metal," said Magneto. "I've been truly deprived. How many mutants are being held in the prison across from us?"

"72," said Mystique.

"Great," said Magneto. "Let's begin building our army."

Magneto used his magnetic powers to lift himself from the ground and to break a piece of the main prison building off. The metal pieces of the building floated across the lake and Magneto and Mystique got on. The pieces floated back to the mainland and the building began to break. The jail metal bars broke and the mutants ran out of their cells. Mystique spotted Sally running away in fear.

"You're right, Sally," said Mystique as she grabbed Sally and pushed her to the ground. "It is an honour to work for such an important mutant." Sally's eyes widen as she realized Mystique impersonated Rob.

"Where's Rob?" asked Sally.

"He's dead in his apartment," said Mystique. Mystique then snapped Sally's neck, killing the innocent woman.

All 72 mutants walked outside and stopped in front of Magneto and Mystique. In the crowd was Sabertooth and Avalanche.

"What took you so long?" asked Sabertooth.

"Don't complain," replied Mystique as she smiled at Sabertooth.

"Brothers!" Magneto yelled out. "I have freed you! You must now repay me by joining my Brotherhood and becoming an army. We mutants must rise against the humans that try to control us. We must start a war in which we are the victors!" The mutants cheered.

Half an hour later, police cars surrounded the destroyed prison. The X-Jet landed near the rubble and Professor X, Angel and Colossus walked out.

"Professor X," said a man in a black suit.

"Secretary Walters," said Professor X. "What happened?"

"Magneto escaped and he took the prisoners with him," replied Walters.

"That's what Mystique probably went into the mansion for," said Angel. "To find out where Magneto was being held."

"I can't sense him," said Professor X.

"He must have his helmet back," responded Colossus. "What do we do now?"

"We wait for his next move," said Professor X.

**Future Story 35: Escape from Alaska**

The X-Jet landed on the frozen tundra of Alaska and the X-Men made their way to the prison that held the captured mutants of Utopia. Hellion used his telekinesis to remove the doors to allow the X-Men to enter the building. Havok, Sunspot, Erg, Northstar and Gambit took out the guards that got in the way. Cipher turned invisible to sneak into the control room. She knocked out three guards and then went on the main computer to open the prison cell doors.

In the prisons, the mutants ran out of the cells and saw the Beast, Nightcrawler, Lil' Bro, Melter and Pixie. The other X-Men quickly joined.

"How are we going to get away from here?" asked Cyclops.

"We saw a few helicopters and small private jets in the landing zones," said Beast. "Pixie is going to make portals for us to go through."

Pixie created three portals and directed the mutants to jump into the portals.

"One at a time," said Pixie. "Quill and Rogue are on the other side. Just stand there and wait for us."

"Nightcrawler," said Beast to Nightcrawler. "Help speed the process along."

"You got it!" said Nightcrawler as he teleported mutants away and then teleported back to teleport more.

Jubilee and Polaris helped some of the weaker mutants into the portals. One of the mutants sneezed on Polaris.

"I'm sorry," said the mutant.

"It's ok," said Polaris. "Just walk over here and jump into the portal."

"Some of these mutants seem sick," said Jubilee.

"It's probably just a cold. They were on the ocean for a while before they were all cramped into here."

Emma, Mystique, Cyclops, Storm, Beast and Colossus gathered in a corner to discuss the plans.

"Where do we go from here?" asked Emma.

"My hideout is the best place," said Beast. "We can build a few homes in the forest to house the mutants."

"Let's just hope DAM doesn't find out where we are," said Storm.

"We better hurry," said Colossus. "They must be on their way soon."

"We should start preparing the helicopters and jets then," said Mystique. Mystique took a few steps towards a portal but her knees gave in and she fell towards the ground. Colossus grabbed her before she hit the floor.

"Mystique, you're weak," cried Colossus.

"I'm fine," said Mystique. Suddenly, the shape-shifter vomited.

"You have to rest," said Emma. "Get Nightcrawler over here."

At the other side of the portals, Rogue and Quill helped the mutants get onto the helicopters and jets. Polaris made her way through a portal and fainted on the ground. Rogue ran up to Polaris to aid her.

"Honey, are you alright?" asked Rogue. Havok and Northstar went through the portals and saw the unconscious Polaris in Rogue's arms.

"What's going on?" asked a worried Havok as he took Polaris into his arms.

"She just fainted," replied Rogue. Northstar placed his hand on Polaris' forehead.

"She has a fever," stated Northstar. "We have to get her some medical attention."

To be continued...


	36. Stories 36

**X-Men: Past, Present, Future**

"I believe in the brotherhood of all men, but I don't believe in wasting brotherhood on anyone who doesn't want to practice it with me. Brotherhood is a two-way street." - Malcolm X.

**Past Chapter 36: The Brotherhood**

"What do you mean the Cuckoos aren't the force?" asked Benedict as he drank his scotch.

The Hellfire Club were at their secret hideout in the underground lounges of New York. The club was once again disappointed that they were further from their goal of world conquest and finding 'the force'.

"They weren't the force," Selene said as she poured herself a drink. "They are powerful mutants but not the force."

"We should be careful around those X-Men then," said Riptide. "They have the Cuckoos on their side."

"They're only two years old," responded Angel. "I'm sure we can still take them on."

"I don't know," said Riptide. "Those girls did beat us last time."

The room suddenly began to shake.

"What's going on?" Angel cried out.

"Is it an earthquake?" asked a scared Benedict who dropped his drink.

Suddenly the metal door was free from its hinges and flew across the room, narrowly missing Riptide's head. Erik, wearing the helmet Beast created for him, levitated into the room.

"Erik!" yelled Selene. "I didn't sense your mind!"

"That's because I'm wearing my helmet," said Erik as he pointed to his helmet. "I had to be prepared."

"What are you doing here?" asked Angel.

"I've come to rejoin the Hellfire Club," said Erik.

"Why?" asked a suspicious Selene.

"I have come to realize that humans are not to be trusted," explained Erik. "I have felt heartbreak from many humans and suffered too many woes. And it always seems that humans are always standing in our way when it comes to mutant progress. I'm tired of being a second class citizen, when it is obvious that mutants are far more superior. That is why I would like join you on your quest to start a war against the humans and ultimately exterminate them."

Benedict, Angel and Riptide looked at Selene. Selene took Erik's speech in and finally made her decision.

"Fine," responded Selene. "You may rejoin the Hellfire Club."

"On one condition though," said Erik.

"What is that?" asked Selene.

"I will be the leader," replied Erik.

"What?" Benedict, Riptide and Angel said at the same time.

"That is ridiculous!" Benedict cried out.

"Selene is the leader," said Riptide. "The Black Queen!"

"They're right, Erik," said Selene. "I can't give you leadership."

"Then I guess I will take it away from you," said Erik.

Erik raised his hands and all the metal objects in the room levitated in the air. The objects surrounded the Hellfire Club and aimed at Selene. Erik then flickered his risk and the objects almost reached Selene's head. Selene used her telekinesis to stop the objects from hitting her.

"Struggling are we?" said Erik with a smirk.

"Why are you doing this?" asked Selene.

"Well, unlike you I don't want to hide," said Erik. "I want to reveal to the world that there are mutants out there that won't stand for discrimination and oppression."

"That's not what the Hellfire Club is about!" said Selene as she struggled to push the objects away from her.

Erik then levitated a gun out of his pocket and sent it at Selene's head. The gun cocked and suddenly a bullet was fired. Selene used all of her telekinesis to stop the bullet, unfortunately releasing her power on the other objects which were all thrown at her. Selene then tried to run to the other side of the room but Erik fired the gun again and this time two bullets hit Selene. One bullet hit her in the shoulder and the other bullet hit her in the back of her head. Selene fell dead to the ground.

The other Hellfire Club members looked at Erik as he took off his helmet. The metal objects returned to their original places and the gun returned to Erik's pocket.

"I guess you're our new leader now," said Angel.

"What do you want us to do?" asked Riptide.

"I want to disband the Hellfire Club," replied Erik. "And start a new group. A group where we will fight for mutant rights everywhere and not be oppressed by humans."

"What is this new group called, Erik?" asked Benedict.

"The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants," Erik replied with a grin. "And don't call me Erik. Call me Magneto."

**Present Chapter 36: Lorna's Plan**

"It has been seven hours since the destruction of Prison X, the prison for dangerous mutants. Officials believe that mutant terrorist, Magneto somehow escaped his plastic prison cell and freed the other mutants being held at the jail. Officials are on the hunt for all 73 mutants but so far no luck. Channel Seven will continue to update you on the story by the hour-"

Jean turned off the television. Everybody in the living room was silent. Their greatest enemy has escaped and now fear has been brought back into the world.

"What are we going to do now?" asked Wolverine.

"We'll let Angel deal with the PR," responded Cyclops. "Hopefully, we'll be able to find Magneto and stop him before he does anything."

The students returned to their regular routine. In the library, Lorna, Alex, Jean-Paul and Julian studied for their History exam.

"In 1875, Sir-" Julian stopped reading out loud when he heard Lorna's heavy breathing.

"Is there something wrong, babe?" asked Alex to Lorna.

"This is ridiculous," said Lorna. "We're here studying for stupid history, when we should be out looking for Magneto!"

"Like the X-Men would ever let us look for Magneto," responded Jean-Paul.

"But they should let us help them!" said an upset Lorna.

"It will be too dangerous," said Julian.

"It's dangerous not having Magneto locked up!" yelled Lorna.

"Calm down," said Alex. "You're only mad because he's your father and he's practically embarrassing you." Lorna slapped Alex in the face, grabbed her books and stormed out of the library.

"You're so smart," Jean-Paul mocked Alex.

Later that night, Lorna walked down with Billy aka. Lil' Bro into the lower levels of the school. Lorna held the seven year olds hand and guided him through the lower level corridors.

"Are you sure we won't get in trouble with the Professor?" asked Billy.

"The Professor is with Angel and Colossus in Washington dealing with the press," replied Lorna. "He won't know."

Lorna and Billy entered Cerebro. The doors closed as Lorna and Billy approached the machine. Lorna put the helmet onto Billy's head.

"What if it hurts me?" asked Billy.

"I heard you were a class 5 telepath," said Lorna. "The machine will hardly do anything to you despite you not being fully trained on your telepathy."

"Okay," said Billy. "I'm ready."

Billy concentrated his powers into Cerebro. The round room spun around and suddenly, images of human and mutant populations surrounded Lorna and Billy.

"Look for Sabertooth," said Lorna. "He should be with Magneto. He was in Prison X, so he must be one of the mutants that Magneto freed." Suddenly, Cerebro zoomed into Sabretooth's face.

"He's in a forest in Maine," said Billy. Billy turned off Cerebro and took the helmet off his head.

"Thank you, Billy," said Lorna. "I'll take you back to your room."

Lorna and Billy walked out of Cerebro and were faced with the high school level students in full Junior X-Men costumes.

"What-what are you-," Lorna was stunned at the sight of her classmates.

"We want to help," said Armando.

"You're right," said Alex. "We shouldn't just sit around...and I'm sorry." Alex and Lorna embraced in a hug.

"Are you sure you guys want to help?" asked Lorna with tears in her eyes.

"Yes," said Jeanne-Marie. "We can't just wait until for Magneto to come and attack us."

"And we can't wait for the X-Men either," said Kitty.

"We're ready to help you," said Max.

"Because we know how much it means to you," said Amara.

"Can you guys work together and put pass any hate you may have?" asked Lorna.

"For this, yes," said Sooraya as she looked at Jeanne-Marie.

"We'll do anything to put Magneto away for good," said Jubilee as she looked at her ex-best friend Amara.

"Okay," said Lorna. "Let's go find Magneto and his brotherhood."

"I'll take Billy back to bed first," said Idie as she took the seven year olds hand and walked him back upstairs.

"So where is Magneto?" asked Julian.

"Billy located Sabertooth in a forest in Maine," replied Lorna. "He should be with Magneto."

"There's only one forest in Maine," responded Jamie. "White Mountain National Forest."

"How do you know this?" asked Sofia.

"I went there with my family once for the summer," answered Jamie.

"Okay," said Roberto. "Looks like we're going to White Mountain."

"How are we going to get there?" asked Jeanne-Marie. "None of us can fly the X-Jet."

"Yeah and even if we could, we'll probably wake everybody up," said Jean-Paul.

"I have an idea," said Alex.

The students woke up Megan aka. Pixie and brought her down to the basement.

"You want me to open up a portal?" asked Megan.

"Yes, to White Mountain National Park," said Alex.

"How will you get back?" asked Megan. "I don't want to go with you."

"Just keep the portal open," replied Sooraya. "We'll only be gone for a few hours."

"Okay," Megan said. Megan waved her hands and created a portal.

"Let's go team," said Lorna.

One by one the Junior X-Men hopped into the portal, on their quest to capture Magneto.

**Future Chapter 36: The Legacy Virus**

The mutants found themselves in the forest where Beast's hideout was located. The mutants set up tents near Beast's hideout. They were all settling into their new living situations. Inside Beast's shack, Polaris and Mystique were lying on respective beds. Mystique was simply feeling fatigue, but Polaris had a fever and her body was shaking. Havok watched over his love, trying to make her as comfortable as he could.

"What's wrong with her?" asked Havok.

"We don't know," replied Dr. Cecile Reyes.

Outside, Emma, Cyclops, Colossus, Angel and Storm ate their food and discussed the events.

"Some of the mutants have been feeling ill," said Colossus.

"Is there a flu spreading around?" asked Cyclops.

"Maybe," said Storm. "We are all cramped in the woods together. Some tents have up to eight mutants sharing."

"We probably would have more room if my estate was still standing," said Emma.

"Yes, but I don't think your estate could hold over 10,000 mutants without being caught," said Angel as he took a bite of his stale bread.

In one of the tents, Northstar and Sunspot were handing out food and water to the mutants. Northstar looked around and spotted Erg, who was playing with mutant children, trying to cheer them up. Northstar smiled at the sight and Sunspot noticed.

"Do you still love him?" asked Sunspot.

"What, no," said Northstar defensively.

"I don't believe you," said Sunspot.

"Well, you should because it's the truth," said Northstar.

"Just like the truth about Havok kissed you and you never planned on telling me?" asked Sunspot in anger. The two boys then noticed a car driving into the area.

Northstar used his super speed to run up to Emma.

"What's wrong?" asked Emma.

"There's a car," said Northstar. "Someone's here."

Emma, Cyclops, Storm, Colossus, Beast, Angel, Cannonball and Wolverine approached the mysterious car. The car parked and the driver came out of the door. It was Dr. Kavita Roa.

"Kavita?" asked Beast. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to speak with you, Hank," answered Kavita. "I didn't know you had guest over." Kavita looked around and was amazed by all the tents and mutants.

The X-Men went inside the shack, listening to what Kavita had to say.

"Remember years ago when I tried to make a cure for mutation?" asked Kavita.

"Yes," said an angry Erg.

"Well, I destroyed my research and gave up on the idea," said Kavita. "I knew it was immoral."

"You should have never done it then," said Erg.

"Erg, please, let Dr. Roa continue," said Beast.

"Well, a few months ago Defense Against Mutants came to my research facility and demanded me to tell them about the cure. I explained to them that I didn't have the research anymore but they wouldn't leave until I tell them what I did to create the cure."

"DAM wanted to restart the research and create a cure?" asked Angel.

"No, Warren," said Kavita. "DAM wanted to do something else."

"What is it?" asked Emma.

"They wanted to combine the influenza virus with the cure," said Kavita. "Ultimately making a virus that will only attack mutants. The virus will cause flu like symptoms but also repress the X-gene, causing powers to not work at all. The ultimate fate of the victim is death. They're calling it the Legacy Virus."

"Oh my God," said a stunned Shadowcat.

"This is unbelievable," said Magma.

"Did they succeed?" asked Colossus.

"Yes," replied Kavita. "They captured the mutant, Leech and the mutant Plague. They used Leech to create the virus as well as weapons that they call Anti-Mutant Bombs. They're gas bombs that release a temporary version of the cure, effectively stopping any mutants from using their powers for a few hours."

"We've experienced those," said Wolverine. "They used them on us."

"If we don't stop DAM, they're going to use Plauge's power, which is the ability to spread diseases into the population."

"That would mean a pandemic of the virus," said Dr. Cecile Reyes.

"Exactly," said Kavita. "And I believe it's already happening here."

"How?" asked Oya. Everybody looked at the room where Havok stood over the sick Polaris.

"The injections!" Emma cried out. "They injected some of the mutants with something. Was it the virus?"

"I believe it was," said Kavita.

"I was injected and I don't feel anything," said Cannonball.

"I was injected too," said Wind Dancer.

"The virus attacks certain mutants faster than others," said Kavita. "But eventually you will feel the effects."

"How contagious is the virus?" asked Cyclops.

"Very," replied Kavita. "It's DAM's motive to infect the whole mutant population and kill them off."

"It's biological warfare," said Emma.

"How are we suppose to win against a virus?" Iceman yelled out.

"There must be something we can do!" yelled Gambit.

"There is one thing," said Kavita. "I have done some research and I believe I can create a cure for the virus. This is why I came here. I need your help Hank."

"Of course," responded Beast. "I'll help with anything."

"Don't you think DAM will be able to spread the virus before we can come up with a cure?" asked Wolverine.

"That is why we must also stop DAM from continuing to produce the virus," said Kavita. "We must also save Leech, the source, and Plague the one that could kill you all."

"Where are they being held?" asked Angel.

"They're in a lab located in Texas," replied Kavita. "It's the same lab that also produces the Anti-Mutant Bombs."

"We'll kill two birds with one stone then," said Cyclops.

To be continued...


	37. Stories 37

**X-Men: Past, Present, Future**

"Judgement prevent us from seeing the good that lies beyond appearances."- Wayne Dyer

**Past Chapter 37: Scott Summers**

"An explosion in an apartment building in Seattle has police and fire fighters scrambling to put out several large fires, while trying to save the people caught in the fire. So far-" Moira turned off the television and turned to look at Charles.

"Let's go to Seattle," said Charles.

"Why?" asked Shiro.

"I sense that the explosion was caused by a mutant," said Charles.

"You're coming with us?" asked Jono.

"Yes," replied Charles. "I feel like I have to."

"How are we going to put out the fires?" asked Xi'an.

"I can use my powers," said Shiro. "But I can't put out all of it. It's too much."

Charles thought for a minute and then said, "Wake up Ororo."

The X-Jet flew to Seattle and landed in an empty parking lot a few blocks away from the fire. The streets surrounding the fire were cleared as firefighters and police tried to rescue people trapped in the burning buildings.

"I can't believe I get to come on a mission!" said Ororo. "This is so exciting."

"Sean, we need to clear the fire," said Charles.

"Right," said Sean. "Ororo, you have to fly up in the air and summon rain."

"Okay," said Ororo.

Ororo flew up high above the city and created a raincloud above the burning buildings. The fire started to subdue and many people were able to get out safely.

"Can you sense where the mutant is?" asked Tabitha to Charles.

"Yes," replied Charles. "He's in the middle building on the 17th floor."

"Let's go!" Sean yelled out as he lead the team into the building. Ororo flew down next to Charles.

"Good job, Ororo," said Charles with a smile.

"Maybe I can be a team leader one day," said Ororo.

The X-Men made their way up to the 17th floor, where they found a 13 year old boy in the fetal position, crying into his arms. Tommy and Tabitha ran over to the young boy.

"It's ok," said Tommy. "We're going to get you out of here."

"You can open your eyes now," said Tabitha.

"No," said the boy. "I can't."

"We have to get out of here," said Shiro as he used his fire manipulation powers to put out a small fire.

"Tommy, use your super speed to get us all out of here," said Sean to Tommy.

"Got it!" said Tommy.

One by one, Tommy grabbed each member of the X-Men and the boy and ran back to where Charles and Ororo were standing. Charles approached the boy and placed his hand gently on the boys shoulder.

"My name is Charles Xavier," greeted Charles. "What's your name?"

"Scott," said the boy still with his eyes closed. "Scott Summers."

"We're going to take you to a safe place now," said Charles.

"I don't think you'll be safe with me around," Scott responded.

"Because of your ability to shoot lasers out of your eyes?" asked Charles.

"Yes...how did you know?" asked Scott.

"You're not the only one with gifts," said Charles.

Suddenly, cars on the street moved to the side and surrounded the X-Men. Shadowy figures appeared from the darkness of the night and approached the X-Men.

"You're right Charles," said a familiar voice. "He's not the only one with gifts."

"Erik!" Charles yelled out as he saw his old friend, dressed in black clothing and a red cape and wearing the psychic blocking helmet. Erik was accompanied by Riptide, Angel and Benedict.

"Long time no see, old friend," said Erik.

"So, you're the new leader of the Hellfire Club?" asked Christian.

"No," replied Erik. "I am the leader of a new organization...The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. We want mutants to take their rightful place in society and become kings among the insects."

"What are you doing here?" asked Jono.

"We came for the boy," responded Erik. "Young man, come with us."

"No, don't," said Sean as he stood in front of Scott.

"He has the freedom to choose," said Erik. "Charles, you of all people would advocate freedom above all else."

Charles sighed and then turned to Scott. "You can choose whoever you would like to go with. You can be with the X-Men and learn to control your powers and fight for peace. Become part of a family." The word family dug deep into Scott's heart.

"Or you can come with the Brotherhood and live like a king. Rule over those who oppress us and realize your true potential as a mutant."

Scott thought long and hard and then, with his eyes still closed, approached Erik. Erik smiled and reached his hand out to the boy. Scott then took a deep breath and opened his eyes, releasing a powerful optic blast directly at Erik and the Brotherhood.

"Let's go X-Men!" Scott yelled. Tommy ran up to Scott and used his super speed to get them back to the jet. Christian released an ultra violet light to blind the Brotherhood while they were wounded on the ground, allowing the others to quickly run back to the X-Jet. Christian then ran back into the jet, and the jet lifted off and flew back to New York.

"Keep your eyes closed, Scott," Charles said. "When we get back to the mansion, we'll have Hank cook something up so you can control your powers."

**Present Chapter 37: Ambusing The Brotherhood**

The Junior X-Men, lead by Polaris made their way into the deep wooded area of White Mountain National Forest. Their plan was to attack the Brotherhood and ruin whatever plans Magneto has.

"How do you know where we're going?" asked Kitty to Polaris.

"I can sense Magneto's magnetic field," answered Polaris.

"Well, if you can sense his," stated Julian. "Doesn't that mean he can sense yours too?"

"Yes," said Polaris. "That's why we have to prepare to fight."

"You mean prepare to fight Magneto, Mystique and the 72 mutants that they freed from prison?" asked a skeptical Max. "We have to be more than ready."

In a large open wooded area of the forest, Magneto stood with Mystique, Sabertooth and Psylocke, looking over the mutants who had set up camp.

"What are your next plans?" asked Psylocke.

"Senator Kelly is having an election speech in New York in a few weeks," replied Mystique. "We're going to make a statement by ambushing the speech and killing Kelly."

"I like it when we make statements," laughed Sabertooth.

"Psylocke," said Magneto.

"Yes?" asked Psylocke.

"How many mutants are in the area right now?" asked Magneto. Psylocke closed her eyes and used her telepathy to count the mutant minds in the area.

"88," replied Psylocke.

"88?" asked a shocked Mystique. "There was only 72 prisoners and plus me and Erik."

"That's what I thought," said Magneto as he turned to look at a higher level of the area. "I sensed another magnetic force nearby."

"Who is it?" asked Sabertooth.

"My daughter," said Magneto.

Suddenly, the Junior X-Men jumped out from the trees and bushes and attacked the evil mutants. Polaris charged at Magneto with her magnetic force. The two mutants magnetic forces pushed each other with their powers and both were sent flying in opposite directions.

Alex released energy blast at Sabertooth, who was hit directly into a tree. Sofia created a tornado that sent some mutants flying into the air. Magma released a flow of lava that burned the feet of several mutants. Jubilee released electric sparks that hit a few mutants. Max released the quills on his body and tackled several mutants and puncturing them. Jean-Paul and Jeanne-Marie released bright lights that blinded the mutants and then used their super speed to attack the blinded mutants. Idie grabbed one mutant in both her right and left hand and then used her temperature manipulation to burn the mutant in her right hand and freeze the mutant in her left hand. Sooraya turned into a giant sand storm and sent a few mutants flying into the air. Kitty phased threw several mutants who tried to attack her and then engaged in hand to hand combat with a mutant who had long limbs. Jamie multiplied himself and all his copies attacked a mutant each. Roberto shot balls of fire at Psylocke, who was dodging the attacks. Armando touched a tree and his hands and feet adapted to climbing the trees, allowing him to climb trees and jump off from them to land on the enemies. Julian used his telekinesis to send several mutants flying into trees and into the air.

"Get Magneto!" Alex yelled out.

Magneto created a powerful magnetic force field that blocked Polaris' powers and made her too weak to counter attack. Polaris fell to her knees while looking up at her father. Avalanche created a powerful earthquake that shook the ground and made the Junior X-Men fell to the ground.

Suddenly, the X-Jet appeared from the sky and a powerful optic blast was shot from the doors. The blast hit Magneto and Avalanche, stopping them from using their powers. Suddenly, a helicopter piloted by Mystique appeared. Magneto, Psylocke, Avalanche, Sabertooth and two other mutants got onto the helicopter and flew away. The X-Jet landed and Cyclops, Jean, Storm and Wolverine walked out.

"Shit, we're in trouble," said Max.

"That's right you're in trouble," responded Wolverine.

"Look, it was all my fault," said Polaris to Cyclops. "I convinced everyone to go with me. It was my idea."

"No," said Jubilee. "It was all of our ideas to go."

"Yeah, we wanted to help Polaris," said Jeanne-Marie.

"And we wanted to help get rid of the Brotherhood," said Roberto.

"You could have gotten hurt," said Storm.

"Or worse," Jean added.

"We got rid of most of them though," said Armando.

"Yeah, there was only like eight of them that got away," commented Alex.

"Remember that there were 72 more mutants that joined the Brotherhood?" asked Jean-Paul.

The Junior X-Men stood silent and looked at Cyclops who had an angry look on his face. Cyclops sighed and then turned to Polaris, who was stricken with fear. Cyclops gently placed his hand on her shoulder.

"You could have gotten hurt," said Cyclops. "But good job." Polaris smiled and the Junior X-Men cheered.

"We told Megan to close the portals so we all have to go home by jet," said Jean.

"But you're all still in trouble," said Storm. "No one is allowed to go out for the next two weekends."

"And you all have toilet cleaning duties," said Wolverine.

**Future Chapter 37: Infected**

"More and more mutants are complaining about fevers, colds, coughs and trouble breathing," said Cannonball to Beast.

"This is bad," said Beast. "The virus is slowly making its way through the population."

"What do we do?" asked Storm.

"It's best to determine who has been infected," said Kavita. "I can do a simple test on all the mutants."

"There's close to 18,000 of us," said Psylocke. "It could take all day."

"Kavita is right though," said Dr. Cecile Reyes. "It's best to know who has the virus and who doesn't."

"Perhaps a few of us may be immune to the virus," stated Beast. "Those few could be the key to finding a cure."

"Let's round everybody up then," said Cyclops.

Beast, Cecile and Kavita did swab and blood tests on the mutants who lined up at the cabin. Everyone was afraid of being labeled as infected. By the afternoon, half of the mutants have been tested and out of that number, 973 were determined to be infected with the virus.

"The number is at 973," said Wolverine to Rogue and Gambit.

"Did you get tested?" asked Gambit.

"Yes," replied Wolverine. "Apparently, my healing factor made me immune to the virus. How about you two?"

"Rogue and I are safe," said Gambit.

"I wonder how many of us are infected overall," said Rogue.

"Let's just hope not many," said Gambit.

Over at the well, Cannonball and Wind Dancer were gathering water. The two were silent because they both knew they had the virus. Suddenly, Nightcrawler teleported to the area.

"I'm not infected!" said a delighted Nightcrawler. "This is the best day ever!" Nightcrawler then noticed Wind Dancer and Cannonball's upset faces. "Oh, sorry, I forgot..."

Hours later, the sun began to set. All the mutants were tested and exactly 7,255 mutants were infected with the Legacy Virus. The mutants a part of the X-Men that were infected were Mystique, Polaris, Cannonball, Wind Dancer, Emma, Oya, Melter and Quill.

"I can't believe this," said Quill as he sat down on a fallen tree.

"Don't worry," said Hellion. "Beast and Kavita will find a cure and you'll be fine."

"But what if it's too late?" asked Quill. "What if I die?"

"Don't say things like that," said Hellion. "Have hope."

"Fuck hope," said Quill as he stood up in anger and yelled, "Fuck hope!"

Northstar brought lunch for Havok, who was tending to the sick and bedridden Polaris. Havok ate the sandwich and drank the water that Northstar brought without talking. Northstar could feel the pain his best friend was going through.

"She'll get better," said Northstar.

"I know," said Havok as he finished his sandwich. "I'm not giving up on her." Northstar smiled.

"I knew you loved her," said Northstar as he sat next to Havok on the ground. "You said you didn't, remember? Back on Utopia you confessed to me that you were in love with me and you said that you were losing love for Polaris. But I knew it was a lie. You love her."

"I am still in love with her," said Havok. "But I'm also in love with y-" Northstar placed his finger on Havok's lips and stopped him from finishing his sentence. The two best friends sat at the side of the bed, on the ground, quietly listening to Polaris' deep breathing as she slept.

Beast turned on the radio and tuned into a radio station. Kavita, Storm, Cecile, Wolverine, Cannonball, Colossus, Cyclops, Emma, Angel and Shadowcat listened intently to the news broadcast.

"The World Health Organization has announced a new virus, known as the Legacy Virus, is infecting the mutant population of Earth. So far, 37% of the mutant population of the world is infected with the virus and the number is expected to rise. World governments are already panicking and many officials are calling this an pandemic. If we -" Beast turned off the radio and looked at his teammates with worry.

"They already released the virus into the world population," said Beast.

"We have to find a cure quickly," said Kavita.

"Then find the cure," said Emma. "Time is of the essence."

To be continued...


	38. Stories 38

**X-Men: Past, Present, Future**

"Guilt: punishing yourself before God doesn't." - Alan Cohen

**Past Chapter 38: X-Men vs. The Brotherhood - First Battle**

The X-Jet landed on the country side near a highway. The X-Men, accompanied by Charles, walked off the jet. It was night and the sky was clear. The stars twinkled brightly above the X-Men as they walked down the highway into an empty diner.

In the old run-down diner, Fred was at the counter cleaning a glass. He saw the X-Men and smiled.

"Hello, X-Men!" said Fred. "It's been years!"

"I see your life is better since you left the school," said Jono.

"What brings you hear?" asked Fred.

"Fred, it seems that Erik has created a team of evil mutants and is recruiting," said Charles. "We came to warn you that he might ask you to join him."

"Oh, Professor X, please call me Blob," said Fred.

"There's something different about you," said Shiro.

"Well I did gain another 100 pounds," said Fred.

"No, that's not it," said Shiro. "You're not telling us something."

Sean looked behind him and saw a twister emerging from the air outside. The twister blew and the door of the diner open and shattered the windows. Suddenly, Angel and Benedict walked out from the kitchen door, while Riptide came in through the diner's doors.

"What's going on!" Tabitha cried out.

"I'll tell you what's going on!" yelled an angry Sean. "Erik has gotten to Fred already! He already joined the Brotherhood."

Suddenly, the metal tables flipped over and the metal chairs flew at the walls. Erik, wearing his helmet, entered the diner with an evil smirk on his face.

"That's right," Erik said. "Blob here is a now a member of the Brotherhood."

"Erik, why are you doing this?" asked Charles.

"Because, Charles," said Erik. "Like all the other mutants out there, Blob should not be subjected to misery and discrimination! The Brotherhood stands for justice for all mutants!"

"I've had enough of this!" yelled Tommy.

Tommy used his super speed to run up to Erik and attempt to punch him in the face. Benedict quickly stopped Tommy's nerves and muscles from moving, causing him to stop. Tabitha released an energy ball at Benedict, but Fred blocked it with his body, causing no damage. Angel flew over to Xi'an and grabbed her hair and threw her into a wall. Angel then shot a fire ball at Christian, who dodged it and released an ultraviolet light beam at Angel. Angel was blinded by the light and fell to the floor. Jono released an explosion from his chest directed towards Erik, who dodged it. Erik magnetically levitated a metal table to throw at Jono. Shiro threw a fire ball at the table and burned it before it hit Jono. Sean screamed at Benedict, which made him release his grip on Tommy.

"Erik, I know there's still good in you!" Charles yelled out.

"You're a fool, Charles," Erik yelled back. "Riptide, teach these kids a lesson!"

"I'm on it!" Riptide cried out as he created a tornado inside the diner.

The roof of the diner blew off as the X-Men tried to hold onto to the walls of the diner. The Brotherhood ran out of the diner, leaving the X-Men alone with the tornado. Xi'an used her powers of possession to take over Riptide's body and make him walk back into the diner and get rid of the tornado. Xi'an then released her possession on Riptide.

"What the hell!" yelled a confused Riptide.

"Baby, get out of here!" yelled Tabitha who released an energy ball at Riptide that hit him out of the diner.

"Where did Magneto go?" asked Christian.

"His name is Erik, not Magneto!" Charles yelled.

"Sorry," said Christian.

"I sense that Angel and Benedict are near the X-Jet," said Charles.

"They're going to take the jet!" Xi'an cried out.

"Oh, I'm not letting them do that!" Sean yelled out.

Sean ran out of the diner and spread his arms open. Sean screamed at the ground and the force lifted him off the ground and made him fly in the air due to his special suit that was designed by Hank. Sean flew to the X-Jet and landed in front of the doors before the Brotherhood got close to it.

"Not so fast!" yelled Sean.

"So that wasn't a flying squirrel," said Angel. "It was just you."

"Get out of our way, boy," said Benedict.

"Honestly, do you think you're fighting for the right causes?" asked Fred to Sean.

"Do you?" asked Sean back with attitude.

"The school was never meant for someone like me," said Fred.

Suddenly, a fire ball from Shiro hit the ground where the Brotherhood was standing. The Brotherhood flew to different places and the grass caught on fire. Benedict's leg was caught on fire and his body began to burn. The fire consumed him and eventually he was burned to death. The X-Men arrived and saw Shiro looking in horror.

"You just killed one of your own," said Erik to Shiro.

Angel flew to the X-Men and punched Christian in the stomach and kicked Tommy in the back. Xi'an punched Angel in the head and then grabbed her arm and threw her into the ground. Angel got up and kicked Xi'an and then flew in the air. Christian released another ultraviolet beam of light at Angel, who dodged and then shot a fire ball at Christian. Tabitha blocked the fire ball with her own energy ball.

Erik raised his hand and lifted the X-Jet off the ground. Sean let out a battle cry and ran towards Erik and tried to punch him. Erik dodged the attack without releasing the X-Jet. Sean then screamed at Erik, which made him fall to his knees. Erik loss control of the X-Jet and it began twirling towards the ground. Everybody stopped fighting and tried to get out of the way of the jet. Suddenly, the jet crashed. Dust and debris consumed the area before the wind cleared it away.

Everybody was shocked to see that the jet was on a slant and Charles trapped under the left wing. Erik ran to his old friend and levitated the jet off him. Erik embraced Charles' body and began to cry.

"My friend!" said Erik. "This was never suppose to happen."

"Then what was supposed to happen?" asked Charles in pain. Everybody gathered around the two friends.

"Sean!" Erik screamed. "This is your fault!" Sean began to feel guilty as tears rolled down his face.

"No, Erik," said Charles. "This is your fault. You know it is."

"I'm sorry my friend," said Erik.

Suddenly, a helicopter piloted by Riptide appeared from the sky and landed. Angel and Fred walked towards the helicopter and then looked back at their leader, who was letting go of his friend. The Brotherhood then boarded the helicopter and flew away.

"Professor!" Tabitha cried out. "We'll get you on the jet and back to the mansion!"

"Sean, prepare the jet!" Jono yelled out. Sean did not respond.

"I'll do it," said Shiro as he ran to the jet. Christian and Tabitha tried to pick up Charles but he screamed in pain.

"I can't-I-I can't-I can't feel my legs!" Charles yelled out.

Three days later at the mansion, Moira rolled a wheelchair into her and Charles' bedroom. Moira assisted her fiancé onto the wheelchair and then kissed him. Moira then took a piece of folded paper out from her pocket and handed it to Charles.

"What's this?" asked a confused Charles.

"A letter from Sean," said Moira. Charles read the letter and a few minutes later looked in Moira's eyes.

"Is this a joke?" asked Charles.

"No," said Moira. "He feels guilty because he believes he was the one that caused your accident. He can't bear to live here anymore, so he left."

**Present Chapter 38: Teenagers**

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon and Cyclops and Jean were outside on the patio drinking iced tea while planning their wedding. Jean had dozens of magazines, a photo album and her laptop out.

"This is the photographer's sample work," said Jean as she handed Cyclops the photo album.

"He's really good," said Cyclops.

"Yeah and lucky for us he doesn't care that we're mutants," said Jean. "I'm also looking at a florist and I think I found a nice one in the East Village. Also, I booked an appointment at a bridal boutique for me and Storm so I can get my wedding dress and she can get her maid of honour dress. You also have to go shopping for your suit soon and did you pick a best man yet?"

"Whoa, calm down!" Cyclops said before he took a sip of iced tea. "I have never seen you so keen on this."

"Well, I wish you were a bit more keen on our wedding."

"I am, honey. But it's not for another six months."

"Yeah but what about the food and cake? And the venue?"

"Jean, we already decided to have the wedding here at the school and Colossus said he was going to make all the food and cake."

"Right...sorry, I forgot. It's just that every time we start planning the wedding something comes up. Like Wolverine going on a rampage, Weapon X, Magneto's evil plans, voting, Magneto's prison escape-"

"I get it," Cyclops interrupted and grabbed Jean's hand and smiled at her. "But we will get married. We are destined to be together. Just clear your mind and relax."

"Ok."

Inside the mansion, Alex, Lorna, Jean-Paul, Roberto, Jeanne-Marie, Kitty, Sofia and Julian were relaxing in the living room.

"I'm sooo bored!" Jeanne-Marie yelled out.

"You said that like eight times already," said Jean-Paul.

"Well, I am bored!" said Jeanne-Marie. "I told you we should have gone back home this weekend."

"Home isn't as fun as here," said Jean-Paul.

"Yeah but back home I could have gotten a fake I.D and go dancing at a club," said Jeanne-Marie.

"Why couldn't you do that here?" asked Julian.

"Because you have to be 21 and I don't look 21!" said Jeanne-Marie. "However, I could pass as 18, which luckily in Canada, 18 is the age to get into clubs and buy alcohol."

"What's it like in a club?" asked Sofia.

"Oh, it's great," said Jeanne-Marie. "It kind of smells. But the music is loud and there are flashy lights everywhere."

"Wish I could go to a club now," said Sofia.

"You guys I just had the best idea!" Kitty said.

"What is it?" asked Lorna.

"Why don't we have a dance?" said an enthusiastic Kitty.

"A dance?" repeated Roberto.

"Yeah!" said Kitty. "We can have it at the gymnasium. We can have food and drinks and a DJ!"

"That sounds like fun," said Lorna.

"Yeah," said Alex. "It will be like a real high school dance."

"Alex is right," said Sofia. "Just because we're mutants doesn't mean we can't have a high school dance. We are still teenagers after all."

"Let's go ask Storm and the Professor if we can have a dance!" Kitty yelled out as she jumped from her seat and phased through the wall.

In the Professor's office, Professor X and Storm were grading papers.

"Lorna's grades are improving," said Professor X. "But Alex's grades keep declining."

"He must be distracted," said Storm. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," said Professor X. Alex, Lorna, Jean-Paul, Jeanne-Marie, Roberto, Sofia, Kitty and Julian walked in. "Hello."

"Hi Professor, hi Storm," said Alex.

"What do you guys need?" asked Storm.

"We have an idea that we want to run by you," said Sofia.

"What is it?" asked Storm.

"Do you think it would be possible to throw a dance for all the students?" asked Kitty.

"A dance?" repeated Professor X.

"Yes," said Kitty. "We want music, food and use the gymnasium as a dance floor."

"Well as much as I would like to give you guys a dance..." Professor X started. "You did break the rules and put yourselves in a lot of danger when you ambush the Brotherhood's camp. And although your punishment was over last week, I don't know if it would send the right message to the other students. I don't want them thinking that they could break the rules, get a slap on the wrist and then get a dance to honour them."

"Oh, please Professor!" Jeanne-Marie cried out. "We've learned our lessoned and we're just bored. We're teenagers you know. We deserve a little fun!"

"Teenagers?" Wolverine smirked. Wolverine entered the office, laughing at the students. "You know what teenagers do at dances? They sneak in alcohol, they do drugs and they have sex. I don't think a dance is such a good idea."

"Maybe a normal school does that," retaliated Lorna. "But we're not a normal school."

"We promise to be safe!" said Alex. "You guys can even supervise us."

"Well if we do have a dance, we definitely would have to supervise you," said Wolverine. "What do you think Professor?"

"Well, Logan," said the Professor. "Although it is risky to have a dance and like I said I don't want the students getting the wrong message...but what the heck! You may have your dance." The students cheered.

"We'll have it next weekend then," said Storm.

"Can we get a DJ?" asked Roberto.

"Of course," said Storm.

"Actually, I have a better idea," said Professor X.

"What is it?" asked Julian.

"I think we can get the pop star, Dazzler to perform at the dance," said the Professor. "She is in New York for the month."

"Oh my God!" Jean-Paul screamed jumping up and down. "I love Dazzler! You know Dazzler?"

"Well, yes," said Professor X. "She was once a student here."

"Wait, Dazzler is a mutant?" asked Jean-Paul.

"Yes she is," said Professor X. "She isn't out yet because she fears that could ruin her career."

"I'm her biggest fan!" said Jean-Paul. "Knowing that she's a mutant makes me love her even more!"

"Well, you'll love this," said Storm. "Her powers is to create light just like you and Jeanne-Marie."

"Really!" Jean-Paul screamed once again.

"He's gotten to level 10 gay mode," said Alex.

"Be nice!" Lorna said as she slapped Alex on the back of his head.

"This is so exciting!" Jean-Paul yelled out.

**Future Chapter 38: The First Virus Death**

At Beast's hideout, Mystique who was still suffering from the virus, found the strength to get out of her bed and walk outside. Rogue spotted her mother and quickly ran to her side.

"What are you doing?" Rogue cried out. "You should get back in."

"I just-just-I just wanted some fresh a-air," said a weak Mystique.

"No, get back in," said Rogue.

"I've never been a mother to you, yet you still treat me w-well," said Mystique as she let Rogue take her back inside the little shack.

Rogue placed Mystique back on her bed and opened up a window so Mystique could catch a nice breeze. Nightcrawler teleported into the room with a tray that had soup and a glass of water on it.

"I brought food," said Nightcrawler.

"Thank y-you," said Mystique. "Just place it on the ground. I'll e-eat when I'm ready."

Nightcrawler followed Mystique's instructions and placed the tray of food on the ground next to the bed. Nightcrawler's tail flicked in the air and slightly hit Rogue in the face.

"Hey, watch it!" Rogue yelled.

"I'm sorry," said Nightcrawler.

"Just like your father," Mystique chuckled.

"What?" a shocked Nightcrawler cried out. "You knew my father?"

"No, she's out of it," said Rogue. "She's probably just saying things." Rogue tried to push Nightcrawler out but he teleported back to Mystique's bedside.

"Please tell me," said Nightcrawler. "Tell me about my father."

"Kurt she's suffering," said Rogue. "She's probably delusional."

"Tell me please," said Kurt as he grabbed Mystique's hand.

"Your father-his-name was Azazel," said Mystique. "He-he looked just like you. Except he was red. He had a tail and pointy ears and yellow eyes. P-people thought he was the devil."

"How did you know him?" asked Nightcrawler.

"He and I were once a part of the X-Men," said Mystique. "And we were also once lovers...before-before he died. He gave me two beautiful children."

"Wait," said Rogue. "I'm your child! Are you saying I have a sibling?"

"Yes," said Mystique. "A brother."

"Well whose my brother and where is he?" asked Rogue.

"You were once my father's lover..."Nightcrawler said in serious voice.

"It's how you got your blue skin," said Mystique with a cough.

Suddenly, Rogue realized the truth. Nightcrawler was her biological brother. Rogue's head started to twist and turn inside and tears rolled down her eyes.

"How is this possible," said Rogue. "Are we-are we?"

"Twins?" asked Rogue and Nightcrawler.

"Yes," said Mystique. "Fraternal twins."

Rogue began to cry as she ran out of the shack. Nightcrawler let go of his mother's hand and began walking out of the shack to look for Rogue. But a hand grabbed onto his jacket and pulled him. Nightcrawler looked back and saw Havok with tears in his eyes.

"Can you please go get Beast," said Havok to Nightcrawler.

A few minutes later, Beast, Kavita, Angel, Cyclops, Emma, Colossus, Storm, Wolverine and Northstar were in the shack. Beast and Kavita looked over Polaris and checked for everything. The room was silent.

"She's gone," said Beast. Havok broke down crying and Northstar tried to comfort his friend.

"She's the first victim of the virus," said a worried Kavita. "Time is running out. We must find a cure and quick!"

Soon the news of Polaris' death had spread through the camp. By sunset, the mutants made a grave for Polaris where she was lay to rest. The fear of the virus grew stronger with the first death. All they could do was pray for a cure. That night they prayed and prayed.

To be continued...


	39. Stories 39

**X-Men: Past, Present, Future**

"Gay kids need to stop killing themselves because they are made to feel worthless by cruel and relentless bullying." - Zachary Quinto

**Past Chapter 39: The Ring is on the Table**

After Sean left, the school was not the same. The students were having difficulty training because of the stress of danger that they might get thrown into. This led Charles, now confined to a wheelchair, to allow some of the younger students to begin their training. And as the leaves of the trees fell and grew back, the students trained and trained only to find themselves not utilizing their training for anything. Erik and his Brotherhood of Mutants did not resurface since the fateful night when Charles loss the ability to walk. They all thought that perhaps it was because Erik felt guilty for what he have done to his good friend, Charles.

1997- Moira and Tessa were sitting in the library, grading papers. The two women became close friends since they were the only female staff in the school since Emma left to raise the Cuckoos.

"Another semester almost done," said Moira as she made a checkmark on a paper.

"Yup," responded Tessa as she rubbed her eyes. "The kids are growing older and unfortunately, so are we."

"It amazes me that the school has made it this far," said Moira. "Charles seems to continue to be more and more passionate about his dream."

"Is it passion?" questioned Tessa. "Or obsession?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh, Moira, it's just been so long since I've done anything fulfilling with my life."

"Is this not fulfilling enough for you?"

"Is it for you?"

Moira was silent, unable to answer Tessa's question.

"I didn't dream of being a teacher," Tessa explained. "I had dreams of being a great scientist. Being appreciated for my work."

"Well, look at Hank," responded Moira. "He invented such amazing inventions that help us."

"That help the X-Men," corrected Tessa. "I'm sorry Moira but I don't believe you're an X-Men. Frankly, I'm not one either. I didn't really care much for the senseless violence they subject themselves to in the name for peace."

"Well, Tessa, I have no idea where you're getting any of this. You've been at this school for years and now you start saying these things."

"These things have always been on my mind...and I know it's been on yours too! When was the last time you and Charles talked about the wedding?"

"Well, it was-it was-"

"You don't even remember."

"It's been so long."

"You've been engaged for more than a decade! What chance do you have for a wedding, marriage and children now?"

"You're being a bit harsh."

"I'm sorry but it's the truth. There's no hope for me here and there's no more hope for you either."

"Yeah, well where are we suppose to go now? I have no family at all. My last living relative, my father, died four years ago. I still haven't looked at his will yet."

"What is it that you always wanted to do?"

"Open my own research facility and be known for my many scientific works...kind of like your dream."

"Maybe it's not too late for both of us."

The next day, Mr. and Mrs. Grey had brought their daughter, Jean Grey to the mansion. Charles and Hank greeted the family and Tommy and Xi'an helped bring in Jean's bags. After an hour, Jean's parents left and Jean started to be acquainted with the other students in the living room.

"So, what's your power, Sugar?" asked Tabitha.

"Telekinesis and telepathy," said Jean.

"How old are you?" asked Ororo.

"14," said Jean.

"Hey, us too!" Ororo. "Except for the four older kids there. They're going to graduate in two months!"

"Cool," said Jean. "How did you like it here?"

"It was awesome," said Christian. "We learned a lot. You'll like it too. Right, Scott?"

Scott was standing near the lamp, too shy to say anything to Jean. Scott couldn't say anything because what came out were murmurs and stutters. Jean smiled at him and Scott blushed.

"I like your sunglasses," said Jean.

"I think Scott is going to like you being here," Tommy joked.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Jean.

"Why don't you read his mind and find out?" suggested Tommy.

"No!" Scott freaked. "D-don't do t-that!" Scott ran out of the room as the other kids laughed.

Out in the hall, Charles looked up at the stairway to see Moira and Tessa carrying luggage down. Charles was confused and wondered why they had packed bags.

"Where are you going?" asked Charles.

"The taxi is already here," said Tessa. "There's no time to explain." Tessa walked out of the mansion, leaving Moira and Charles alone.

"What is she talking about?" asked Charles.

"Can't you just read my mind?" asked Moira.

"You know I'm not going to do that," said Charles. "Just tell me what's happening."

"Years, Charles," explained Moira as tears rolled down her face. "It's been years and we're still not married. I'm not living the dream I want to live. I'm just living in the shadow of your dreams."

"I thought my dreams were your dreams. I thought we were...a couple."

"I wanted to be more than a couple, Charles. I wanted to be married. To be your wife..."

Charles looked at Moira's hand and realized it was missing something important.

"Where's the engagement ring?" asked a heartbroken Charles.

"The ring is on the table," said Moira. "Next to our bed...I also left my heart there."

Moira walked out of the door and closed it slowly. Charles sat in his wheelchair, suffering from the twisting pains in his heart. He had never felt more alone.

**Present Chapter 39: The Dance**

"It's time to party!" Sofia yelled out as the students gathered in the gym.

Balloons, streamers, lights and a drink table were set up. A stage and a DJ booth was set up for Dazzler's performance. The students were all hyped for the night. The teachers gathered at the corners and smiled at the young kids.

"How come we never got something like this when we were younger?" asked Storm.

"The Professor had a lot to worry about," said Cyclops.

"He still does," commented Jean.

"Yeah but we've taken some of the burdens off him," said Cyclops.

"Well, we should be glad that this generation of mutants get to do things we've missed out on," said Colossus.

"I'm still kind of jealous," joked Storm.

Suddenly, the lights turned dim and then amazing flashes of light came from the stage. Music started to play and the students started to jump up and down in excitement.

"It's her!" Jean-Paul screamed in joy.

"Hello, Xavier Institute!" the famous pop-singer, Dazzler yelled out. "I remember when I use to be a student here. I was actually a part of the first class ever!"

"Dazzler!" Jean-Paul screamed and jumped up and down, while shaking Roberto around.

"But enough about me," Dazzler laughed. "Are you ready to have a good time?" The students screamed. "I said, are you ready to have a good time?" The students screamed louder and the Jean, Cyclops, Storm and Beast joined in on the screaming. "Then let's have a good time! Here's my first top ten hit, 'Night Out'".

"I love Night Out!" Jean-Paul screamed.

"I'm sure you love all of her songs," Roberto said as he tried to stop Jean-Paul from flying onto the stage.

After an hour into the dance, the kids were having fun and so were the teachers. Dazzler had performed ten songs and now her personal DJ was playing music for the kids to dance to.

"That was an amazing performance!" said Jean.

"Thanks," said Dazzler. "You guys should really come out to my concert. Bigger stage, more theatrics."

"Are you saying you want to give us free tickets!" Storm and Jean screamed.

"Umm...no," said Dazzler.

Near the punch table, Thomas and Chris were drinking punch and talking. Victor was standing behind the table, but Thomas and Chris didn't know that.

"Was it hard to get Melody to be your date for this thing?" asked Thomas.

"Well, yeah," said Chris. "Cannonball said he was going to kill me if I melted Melody's dress off."

"Well, you are the Melter," laughed Thomas. "I can't believe I don't have a date."

"You could be Victor's date!" Chris joked.

"Don't even say that," said Thomas. "That kid is such a loser. He's gay but not even the cool kind of gay like Northstar is."

"Yeah and what is up with his powers?" insulted Chris. "He looks like a freakin' lizard...and he wants us to call him Anole?"

"Sounds like anal," mocked Thomas.

Victor ran out of the gym, unnoticed by anyone. On the dance floor, Jeanne-Marie went up to Jubilee and Jamie who were dancing and pushed the two away from each other.

"Hey!" Jubilee yelled. "What did you do that for?"

"You're dancing with my date!" yelled Jeanne-Marie.

"Turn around," Jubilee said as she pointed behind Jeanne-Marie. Jeanne-Marie turned around saw Jamie dancing with Kitty, Sofia and Alisha.

"What is going on here?" asked Jeanne-Marie.

"Jamie felt bad that some of the girls didn't have a date," explained Jubilee. "So he decided to make copies of himself so he could be with any girl without a date."

"How sweet..." said an annoyed Jeanne-Marie. "Where's Sooraya?"

"She's a devoted Muslim, remember?" said Jubilee as she got dipped by Jamie. "She's not supposed to dance with boys. So, she's standing over there with Cannonball and Wolverine."

"Sucks to be Canny and Wolvie," said Jeanne-Marie as she grabbed one of Jamie's copies and grinded on him.

In a corner, stood Max and Julian with drinks in their hands.

"Why didn't you ask Sofia out?" Max asked.

"I was too scared," said Julian.

"You're such a chicken," said Max. "You're the only one of us still a virgin now."

"So..." said Julian.

"I'm just saying, if you like Sofia so much, then you should just grow some balls and get with her. It's pretty obvious that out of the high school level boys, you're the only not going to get any tonight."

"You don't know that..."

"I'm with Amara. Alex and Lorna are together. Jean-Paul and Roberto are together. Armando and Idie will totally hook up. And Jamie has pretty much all the other girls, including Sofia."

"Shut up!"

Amara walked over and pulled Max's arm.

"Let's go make out," said Amara.

"Bye, bro!" Max said, leaving his friend standing at the corner by himself.

Max and Amara found themselves in the boy's bathroom, passionately kissing. Amara pulled Max's blazer off his torso and threw it on the bathroom floor without taking her lips off his. Max pushed Amara onto the counter and one foot slipped.

"Whoa, slippery," laughed Amara. Amara looked down at the ground and then suddenly screamed.

"What is it?" asked Max.

"Blood," said Amara. Max looked down and saw a trail of blood on the bathroom floor.

Max and Amara followed the trail of blood into the bathroom stall. They slowly opened the door and saw the sight of Victor sitting on the bathroom floor, the back of his head rested on the toilet seat, with blood coming out from his slit wrists and a knife in his chest. Amara screamed and the two ran to get help.

The dance was shut down and Dazzler left. The whole school was shaken by the gruesome death of young Victor. Many of the teachers were surprised and were afraid that perhaps they weren't paying enough attention to the students. In the late hours of the night, when all the kids were forced to go to bed, the teachers gathered in Professor X's office to discuss the matter.

"How come we didn't see this coming?" asked Storm. "I'm the guidance counselor for God's sake!"

"There is no need to blame yourself," said Professor X. "I'm a psychic yet I didn't know either. Besides, it is your job to help students that actually come for help. There was nothing you could do."

"But I tell them all the time to come and talk to me if they had a problem," said Storm. "It was my job to prevent suicides!"

"It's ok," said Wolverine as he tried to comfort Storm. "It's going to be alright."

"Did we find out why he did it?" asked Angel.

"I think I did," said Jean as she entered the office with a laptop in her hand. "This was Victor's laptop. He kept an online journal."

"A blog?" asked Cyclops.

"Yes," said Jean as she showed the blog to the others. "I read a few entries and it's clear that he was an upset young boy. He said being captured by Weapon X was the beginning of hell for him. And apparently, being outed for being gay here at the school...well..."

"He was bullied?" asked Cannonball.

"Exactly," replied Jean.

"Look," said Colossus as he scrolled down the screen. "His last post was about a half an hour before we found him."

"We should have been paying more attention," said Cyclops.

"What does the post say?" asked Angel.

"He titled it 'Goodbye'," read Colossus.

"Goodbye world that I was not made for. Goodbye world that brought me in but didn't want me to stay for long. It is clear that I wasn't meant for this life or any life. Being different was hard enough but being a gay was worse. Sometimes I didn't want to get out of bed. Sometimes I wished I was still in Weapon X, where every mutant was defenceless, unlike this school where every mutant seemed to use words as a means of power. I didn't fit in with the other kids because I was too smart for them. They didn't understand me. I don't even understand me. So, I think it would be better to just leave now and save some people the trouble of wasting their time and energy into making sure I remember that I don't belong. Goodbye."

**Future Chapter 39: Different Lips**

The morning sun rays seeped into the forest and warmed the fugitives of Utopia. It had been a week since the death of Polaris to the Legacy Virus, and the mutants were still on edge. Some mutants have begun to get sicker and sicker and death had fallen onto many as well. Healthy mutants were going insane due to the mundane tasks and the close quarters they all had to share. It was a rough time for all.

Inside a tent, Wind Dancer was suffering from the effects of the virus and was having trouble sleeping. Nightcrawler and Iceman went into her tent to check up on her.

"Did you get any sleep last night?" asked Nightcrawler.

"Maybe an h-hour," replied Wind Dancer in a weak voice.

"I can't believe it took this long for the symptoms to kick in," said Iceman.

"Yeah, I c-can't believe it either," said Wind Dancer. "How's Alex?"

"Not good," said Nightcrawler. "He hasn't talked to anyone. Not even Northstar."

"Just like Rogue," said Iceman.

"You're still not over R-rogue?" asked Wind Dancer.

"No," said Iceman. "I'm not talking about me. I'm talking about Kurt here. Remember, Mystique just told them they were twins?"

"Oh yeah," remembered Wind Dancer. "She hasn't talked to you?"

"She's been avoiding me," said Nigthcrawler. "I just want to talk to her!"

Outside in a secluded area in the forest, away from the camp, sat Havok on a log. He was listening to his own breathing and thinking about Polaris and all the good times they shared together. Cyclops came up from behind and placed his hand gently on his little brother's shoulder.

"Hey," said Cyclops. "How are you?"

"Fine," replied Havok.

"You're not fine...You know when Jean died, I tri-"

"Please, don't. I'm not in the mood to talk." Havok got up and left, leaving Cyclops standing in the forest by himself.

In the camp, Northstar and Erg were delivering food to the women and children. Northstar noticed Sunspot standing from afar and glaring. He knew Sunspot was not happy with him spending anytime with Erg.

"He's looking over you know," said Erg.

"Yeah, I know," said Northstar.

"He's the jealous type isn't he?" asked Erg.

"I guess," said Northstar as he handed a sandwich to a woman. "Ok, all done. No more sandwiches."

Erg noticed that Sunspot wasn't looking anymore, so he grabbed Northstar's arms and pushed him behind a tree where no one could see them. Erg then passionately kissed Northstar, just like the days when they dated. Northstar pushed Erg away in anger.

"I said no before," yelled Northstar. "I'm with Roberto!"

"But we were so good together," Erg reminded. "You only went back to him because you two stopped fighting! But you know it was the wrong thing to do."

"I'm sorry but I love him and I can't leave him."

"Just tell me one thing...do you still love me?"

"...there's no answer I can give you that won't break your heart."

"Then lie to me."

"It will still break your heart."

Northstar gently pushed Erg and walked away. Northstar found Sunspot and hugged him from behind and kissed the back of his neck.

"Missed me?" joked Northstar.

"I always do..." said Sunspot. Northstar could tell that there was something wrong.

"What's wrong?" asked Northstar.

"What's wrong?" repeated Sunspot. "I'll tell you what's wrong. You spend more time with Erg than you do with me."

"That is not true!"

"Well, maybe not more time but you still spend time with him."

"Yeah, well I spend time with Kurt and Colossus and Angel too!"

"You never dated them before!"

"Look, there is nothing going on with me and Erg!"

"How can I trust you? You kissed Alex behind my back!"

"You need to start trusting me more."

"I can't! You kissed different lips!"

"I said I was sorry! What more do you want?"

"I don't know...I just know that right now, I can't stand to be around you!"

Sunspot pushed Northstar and ran away. Northstar watched as his boyfriend ran far away from him. Northstar began to cry and then flew up into the air. The wind hit his face and sent the tears flying into the air. He then noticed Erg still standing at the tree where he kissed him. Northstar flew down at the tree and stood silently in front of Erg.

The two did not say any words. Northstar then pushed himself onto Erg's body, backing him into the tree. The two embraced in a passionate kiss, just like old times. It was a liberating and horrifying experience for Northstar who found himself kissing different lips.

To be continued...


	40. Stories 40

**X-Men: Past, Present, Future**

_**Author's Note:**_

_Thank you all for following the story so far! This is Chapter 40, meaning we have 9 more to go after this chapter! It's been so much fun writing these stories and I'm excited to be finishing it soon. I looked over all the chapters and here are a few fun facts about my story. Many of them are the timelines that crossover and allude to each other:_

_Aisha/Alisa:_

_In present chapter 16, I listed the students and I listed Cipher's real name as Alisa. But after chapter 16, whenever she is mentioned I call her Aisha. My mistake! In the comics, her name is Alisa._

_Madelyne:_

_In the beginning of future chapter 4, Storm mentions that she knew Madelyne many years ago. She says: " I didn't know she was still alive after the X-Men fought her and her team." In present chapter 30, Madelyne assembles the Sisterhood of Evil Mutants to attack the mansion. Note: Kitty acts as if she never met Madelyne before in future chapter 4, but present chapter 28, Madelyne made a scene in front of all the students and their parents on parent's night. Once again, another mistake by me!_

_Who killed Deathstrike's father?:_

_In present chapter 8, William Stryker tells Deathstrike that Wolverine was the one who killed her father before she kills him. This leads Deathstrike to seek revenge on Wolverine. But in past chapter 32, it was William Stryker who gave the orders to Sabertooth and Wolverine to kill Deathstrike's father. Also, Wolverine misses and Sabertooth was the one that gave the fatal blow to Mr. Yuriko._

_There's a ton more fun facts if you read all the chapters closely! Once again, thank you for reading and I hope you follow me until the end!_

**Past Chapter 40: Mystique**

Rave and Azazel ran and ran, trying to escape the mob that was chasing them. The full moon shined above as the two mutants ran through the dark alleys of a small country town. The mob of about a dozen people chased them with baseball bats and rifles, while yelling at them. When they lost sight of the mob, Azazel pushed Raven into a dark corner.

"Azazel, teleport us out of here!" Raven said.

"I can't," said Azazel. "I've been hit."

"Hit? Where?" Raven examined Azazel's body and realized a bullet was shot into his right shoulder. "Oh my God! I knew we should have never tried to steal the money from the bar!"

"We needed the money," said Azazel.

"Not this badly!"

"Who are we kidding? We were such fools. We should have s-stayed."

"Yes, we should have stayed at motel."

"No, Raven. We should have stayed at t-the mansion."

"Azazel, what are you saying?"

"The mob is g-going to find us. Disguise yourself and get back to Xavier."

"We can't go back!"

"We c-can't...but you can!"

"No, I'm not leaving without you! I won't!"

Azazel smiled and then kissed Raven. Raven closed her eyes and suddenly, the two of them teleported. Azazel couldn't teleport too far, so they ended up on the rooftop of a nearby building. Azazel could hear the angry voices of the mob. Raven opened her eyes and saw Azazel smiling at her. Raven shook her head and tried to reach for him, but he teleported away.

Azazel appeared before the angry mob with a smirk on his face. The mob pointed their weapons at him.

"Mutant who looks like a devil!" one angry mob member yelled out. "You take our money and run from us! We always knew mutants were bad and you are the example of that truth!"

"Not all of us are b-bad," Azazel struggled to say. "But those who are, are the ones you must fear the most!"

Suddenly, Azazel teleported into the middle of the mob and kicked two members. He used his tail to constrict one member by the neck and then punching two other members in the face, before flipping over and landing on the shoulders of another member. He then teleported once again to a corner and kicked two more members. Before he could teleport again, a shot was fired at him that hit his chest. Azazel fell to the ground and succumbed to the pain of the bullet. Finally, he took his last breath as an image of Raven's face crossed his mind.

Raven covered her mouth to keep from screaming. She had just witnessed the death of her lover. The pain of losing Azazel made her crumble inside. She felt sadness and guilt but also anger and resentment against the humans who killed him. Against all the humans who killed mutants. Her anger slowly turned her heart to stone and she felt a new goal in life.

A week later at the school, Hank opened the door to see the startling sight of Raven standing at the front door. Hank couldn't find the words to even say hello to her.

"Where's Xavier?" asked Raven.

"He...he's in his office," said Hank. Raven barged in and ran upstairs. "Wait! Raven!"

Raven stormed into Charles' office and slammed the door behind. Charles looked up from his desk, stunned at the sight of Raven. A sudden rush of confusion hit Raven as she looked at her old professor in a wheelchair. Raven began to cry.

"Raven," Charles said. "Why are you crying?"

"You're in a wheelchair...what happened to you?"

"A lot of things happened that changed our lives since you and Azazel left. Where is Azazel?"

"He's...he's...he's dead."

"I see...my sincere apologies then. We've lost a few people since you left. Sean...Tessa...Moira. They left the school to fulfill their own purposes in life. But we have a few new students."

"I guess the dream doesn't die even when there's heartache."

"I guess not...have you decided to return here?"

"No." Raven wiped her tears and walked up to Charles. "I came to tell you that I've had children with Azazel...we left them at a church in Detroit...they're probably toddlers now and I'm not sure...if they're still there...but...but..."

"You want me to find them? For you?"

"Yes and no...find them but not for me. For them...I can't be their mother. But I can't live without knowing that they have a good life...that's all I want for them."

"I'll try my best then."

"Thank you, Charles."

Later that night in a hidden cave, deep in a secluded forest was the secret base of the Brotherhood. Outside looked like a normal cave, but inside was made out of complete metal, designed by Erik. The Brotherhood were planning their next move when suddenly, they heard the flapping wings of an owl. They looked around and saw the owl flying near the ceiling of the cave.

"I'll get rid of it!" Riptide said.

"No, let me!" said Blob. "I've been craving a bucket of fried owl!"

"Disgusting!" laughed Riptide.

Suddenly, the owl flew down to the ground and transformed into Raven. Erik looked into her yellow eyes in shocked.

"Raven!" Erik yelled out. "What are you doing here?"

"I've come to join your Brotherhood," answered Raven.

"No way are we letting you join!" Angel yelled out.

"No, Angel," said Erik. "We will let Raven join."

"But she's a former X-Men!" said Angel.

"And so was Blob and I," said Erik as he touched Raven's blue face. "It would mean the world to me if you join us, Raven."

Raven smiled and then said," call me Mystique."

**Present Chapter 40: Election Mayhem**

"Senator Kelly is now taking the podium here on this beautiful Jackson, Mississippi, afternoon," said the announcer. "Let's listen."

Senator Kelly walked up to the podium and waved at the audience. The audience cheered loudly and applauded. Senator Kelly motioned them to settle down and then began his speech.

"Good afternoon fellow Americans. I come here on this beautiful day to talk to you about the dangerous route this country is heading towards. For a few elections now, this country has been tolerating the dangerous lives of mutants. But not no more! Because now I come forward to let you know that I will be your new president! Vote for me and I will restore the very foundation that this country was built on!"

The audience cheered but suddenly, the ground shook and many people fell to the ground. The audience screamed and looked around, to suddenly see all the metal chairs fly away. The Brotherhood appeared and walked onto the stage.

"The foundation of peace and tolerance?" Magneto asked Senator Kelly. Armed officers raised their guns at the Brotherhood but Magneto quickly used his powers to take the guns out of their hands.

"What do you want, Magneto?" asked Senator Kelly.

"I want the same thing you want," replied Magneto. "Peace...just not for humans."

Suddenly, the X-Jet flew over the sky and landed in an open area of the park where the speech was being held. The X-Men walked out of the jet, directly looking at the Brotherhood.

"Honestly, do I have to build helmets for every member on this team just so these annoying X-Men would stop bothering us?" asked Magneto.

"I wouldn't hurt," said Avalanche.

"Oh well," sighed Magneto. "At least we can introduce them to our two new members."

The X-Men approached the stage and the audience slowly backed away, trying to hide under chairs and behind trees.

"We're here to take you back to prison, Magneto," said Cyclops.

"Really now?" said Magneto. "Perhaps you should have done a better job at keeping me in prison in the first place."

"We don't want to fight you," said Cyclops. "But we will use force."

"At least let me allow to introduce you to my two new members," said Magneto as he walked over to a male and a female mutant. "This young man here is named Lifter. He's able to manipulate gravity around objects. And this beautiful woman is named Mist Mistress. Her deadly mist could corrode solid objects and sometimes even people."

"Save it!" Wolverine yelled out. "We're going to kick your ass!"

Wolverine screamed and then charged at Magneto. Magneto pointed his finger and stopped Wolverine in midair. He then tossed Wolverine into a nearby crowd of frightful people.

"You never learn!" Magneto laughed. "Attack!"

"Attack!" Cyclops yelled.

The X-Men and the Brotherhood charged at each other. Beast leaped onto to the stage and tackled Sabertooth to the ground. Sabertooth pushed Beast off and then dug his claws into Beast's back. Psylocke used her telekinesis to throw chairs at Cyclops, who shot the chairs away with his laser beams. Avalanche caused a crack in the ground that aimed at Storm and Angel. The two flew into the air and Storm then summoned a strong wind that blew Avalanche off the stage. Lifter manipulated gravity below Storm and Angel and caused it to be strong, which made the two fall to the ground. Mist Mistress released a mist into the air that aimed at Cannonball and Jean. Cannonball grabbed Jean's hand and flew them into the air to evade the mist. The mist rotted two nearby trees and melted a metal chair. Senator Kelly tried to sneak off the stage, but Mystique saw and quickly grabbed him.

"Let me go! Help! Help!" Senator Kelly screamed. Cannonball and Jean flew back down and Jean used her telekinesis to separate Mystique from the senator. "Thank you!"

"We have to get you out of here!" Jean yelled.

"I don't think so!" Magneto said as levitated metal chairs and threw them at Jean who was trying to reach for the senator's hand. Cyclops hit Psylocke with his laser and then quickly turned around and hit Magneto in the back.

"No!" Mystique yelled as she ran at Cyclops and the two got into hand-to-hand combat. Wolverine ran back into the action and aimed at Mystique but was stopped by Lifter who levitated Wolverine and threw him into a pile of chairs.

"Magneto's right," said Lifter. "You really don't learn!"

"We have to escape!" Magneto yelled out. "Mist Mistress!"

"Got it!" Mist Mistress said as she released a cloud of mist into the air.

"Don't breath in the mist!" Beast yelled out. The X-Men and all the humans around covered their mouth and nose. Storm flew into the air and summoned a wind to clear the air. When the mist disappeared, The Brotherhood was gone.

"They escaped!" Cannonball cried out.

As the X-Men got back onto the jet, Cyclops and Jean were stopped by Senator Kelly who shook their hand and thanked them. Even though they couldn't capture Magneto, the X-Men had captured the gratitude of their human enemies.

**Future Chapter 40: Between Two Loves**

"Rogue!" Nightcrawler said as he walked up to his sister. "We need to talk!"

"No, we don't!" Rogue yelled out. "Stop following me!" Rogue stormed off into the woods, leaving Nightcrawler standing with Gambit.

"Remy, help!" Nightcrawler begged.

"Sorry, Blue," said Gambit. "But there ain't nothing I can do. You just gotta give her a little time. She'll come around."

The sun began to set and the mutants were losing hope. With every sun rise and sun set, the mutants prayed for a cure to the virus that plagued the population. The official death toll from the Legacy Virus that infected the mutants of former Utopia was 4250. That only left 12,988 surviving mutants. However, many knew that number was quickly dwindling.

"How many more mutants have been infected?" asked Cyclops to Angel.

"The last radio reports said 42% of the mutants in North America was infected," replied Angel. "And the death toll outside our camps is about 55,000 mutants."

"The number must be higher if we add other countries," said Cyclops.

"Let's just hope Beast and Kavita can find a cure before it's too late for all of us," said Angel.

Hellion and Sunspot were trying to calm Quill down who couldn't control the quills on his body.

"Somebody throw water on me!" Quill yelled.

"We can't do that," said Hellion. "It's the virus. Beast said it would make you do this."

"I'm going insane!" Quill yelled. "I'm going to die!"

"Don't say that!" said Sunspot. "Just stay calm!"

"I can't stay calm!" said Quill. "I don't understand how anyone can stay calm in this time! Especially you, Roberto!"

"I'm not infected with the virus," said Sunspot.

"I'm not talking about that," said Quill. "I'm talking about Northstar and Erg. The two kissed you know."

"What?" Sunspot yelled out.

Sunspot flew into the air and then saw Erg washing his face in a bowl of water. Sunspot flew down and kicked Erg, making him hit a tree.

"You bastard!" Sunspot yelled as he turned his body into fire.

"What the hell!" Erg said as he gathered himself. Mutants surrounded the two boys, wondering what was going on.

"You kissed Northstar!" yelled Sunspot. "I told you to stay away from him!"

"For your information, Northstar was the one who kissed me first!"

"What? You're lying!" yelled Sunspot.

"Ask him yourself!" Erg yelled back. Northstar appeared out from the crowd in confusion.

"What's going on?" asked a worried Northstar.

"Did you kiss Erg?" asked an angry Sunspot.

"Yes he did," said Erg. "Tell him you kissed me! You kissed me just like you use to do when we were together!"

"Please don't tell me it's true!" yelled Sunspot. Northstar began to cry and he couldn't say anything to Sunspot. "I can't believe this! I can't believe this! I thought you loved me."

"I do love you!" Northstar cried out.

"Then why would you hurt me!" yelled Sunspot.

"Because he loves me more!" Erg yelled.

"No!" yelled Northstar. "I-I...I just...I can't...I-"

"Who do you choose?" Sunspot asked as he calmed himself down. "You can only have one of us. Who do you pick?"

"Yeah, Jean-Paul," said Erg. "Tell us. Which one of us do you truly love?"

"I can't!" Northstar cried out. "I can't choose!"

Northstar used his super speed and ran away. Sunspot flew into the air to catch him. Erg followed on foot, hoping to catch Northstar before Sunspot did. Northstar ran and ran until he found himself inside Beast's hideout. Northstar looked over and saw Havok, who's eyes were red and puffy from crying for weeks. Havok saw Northstar and hugged him.

"She's gone, JP," said Havok. "She's really...gone." It was the first time Havok had said anything to anyone about Polaris' death. Northstar hugged his friend back and kissed him on the cheek. Suddenly, Sunspot and Erg ran into the shack.

"Jean-Paul," said Sunspot. "You can't run from us."

"You have decide," said Erg. "Which one of us do you pick?"

"I pick..." Jean-Paul stopped and then smiled. "I don't pick either of you. I pick... Havok. He's my friend and he needs me at this time. I don't need you two."

In a tent, Beast and Kavita were mixing chemicals and looking through microscopes. The two have been working on finding the cure for weeks and suddenly, Beast jumped up from his chair.

"My goodness!" Beast yelled out.

"What is it?" asked Kavita.

"I think I just found the cure," said an excited Beast. "This is it! I have the cure for the Legacy Virus!"

To be continued...


	41. Stories 41

**X-Men: Past, Present, Future**

**Author's Notes:** Sorry, I haven't been updating the story! I've been very busy. I'm going to try to get a few chapters in soon and hopefully end this thing!

**Past Chapter 41: Young Love**

It was the last few days of exams before summer rolled in at the mutant school. The students were cramming in last minute studying in the library. Scott was studying by himself in a corner, when suddenly, Jean sat down next to him.

"I need help with Physics," said Jean as she opened her textbook.

"You should ask Peter," said Scott "he's very good at Physics."

"He's busy helping the others," said Jean. "Besides, I'd rather have you teach me."

"I-I-uh," Scott was choking on his words and turning bright red.

"After the exam, do you want to go get some ice cream?" asked Jean.

"Don't we have ice cream here?" asked Scott.

"...forget it," said Jean as she grabbed her books and left Scott alone.

Charles, Shiro, Hank and Jono were gathered in the lower levels of the school, discussing the important news that Raven had recently told Charles.

"She had twins?" asked Hank. "I can't believe it. She's changed."

"She is still the same Raven," said Charles. "If she ever chose to come back to the X-Men, then we'll embrace her with open arms."

"So, what do we do?" asked Shiro.

"I'll use Cerebro to locate the twins," said Charles.

"I guess we'll be making a trip to Detroit," exclaimed Jono.

By the afternoon, the students were all taking the final Physics exam. They reread questions several times and erased answers they wrote and wrote new answers down. The clock kept ticking away, putting stress and fear into the minds of the students. Finally, Hank stopped the exam and collected all the papers. The students ran out of the school and onto the campus' grassy hills as they enjoyed the sunshine.

"We're free!" Tabitha yelled out. "It's summer time!"

"I'm going back home for the summer," said Tommy.

"I'm going to Paris with my family," said Xi'an. "What are you going to do Christian?"

"I'll just stay here," said Christian. "Because you know, I don't have a family to go to..."

"Didn't you say you had an aunt in the city?" asked Tabitha. "Why don't you go visit her?"

"I don't want to bother her," said Christian.

Later that night, Scott was in his bedroom, reading a book. Jean knocked on the door and Scott yelled for her to come in.

"Hey," said Jean.

"Hey," said Scott as he tossed his book aside. "What's up?"

"Oh, just wanted to talk," said Jean. "Is that ok?"

"Sure, come sit on my bed."

"It's so strange that I just came to the school a month ago and now it's summer time. Bad timing, right?"

"I don't know...a place like this is always the right time."

"That's true. I'm going to be gone for the summer. Back with my parents."

"Oh, I see."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to rub it in or anything. I know you don't have parents and -"

"It's ok...I've grown stronger."

"Do you have any other family?"

"A little brother...his name is Alex. We've been hopping through foster homes and eventually the system separated us."

"That's horrible."

"Yeah...but I still believe he's out there somewhere. I'll find him one day...the Professor said he'll help me find him."

"The Professor is great. He's teaching me how to hone my psychic powers."

"We're really lucky to have him." 

Scott and Jean faces got closer and closer. Eventually, their lips touched and they began to passionately kiss. All the romantic tension between the two released into the air and filled the room with love and desire. Their kiss sealed their fate to be together forever.

Charles and Hank entered the docking station of the school, where the X-Jet landed. The doors of the plane opened and Shiro and Jono, who was holding a little girl in his arms, came off the plane.

"This is Marie," said Shiro. "The nuns at first were reluctant to give her to us but we convinced them that it would be for the better."

"Hello, Marie," said Charles. "I'm Professor X."

"Weren't there twins?" asked Hank.

"The boy mutant was sent away," explained Jono. "The nuns wouldn't tell us where but they believed he was the devil."

"Must have gotten his looks from his father," said Hank.

"It's alright," said Charles. "At least we have the girl...let's not tell her about her brother...to protect her fragile mind."

"Are you sure?" asked Hank.

"Yeah, is that a good idea?" asked Shiro.

"It's not our right to do so," said Charles. "She'll find out in the future..."

**Present Chapter 41: The Mutant Town Riots**

"Anti-mutant activist have gathered on the streets of Mutant Town to protest against mutant rights," said the news reporter to the camera. "Both sides are standing their guard but no one has made a move just yet. Wait...what's this? A black jet has landed on the street. Perhaps the military has sent some troops in to keep the peace?"

The X-Men, along with Kurt, walked off the jet into the tension filled streets of Mutant Town. On one side, anti-mutant activists. On the other side, mutants of the ghetto.

"X-Men!" yelled out Callisto. "What took you so long?"

"When did they come here?" asked Cyclops.

"About an hour ago," answered Callisto. "They've been chanting hate speech and throwing garbage on our streets."

"Everyone should go back inside," said Storm.

"No way," retaliated Callisto. "These are our streets. This is our home. We going to stand up for our rights."

"Things can get very dangerous," said Kurt.

"We live for danger," replied Callisto. "You know how I do, baby."

"Yeah, well we want peace," intersected Colossus. "Scott, what do we do?"

"If they make a move, we'll fight them off," said Cyclops. "But we won't make the first move."

Suddenly, a bunch of cars flew into the air and landed where the protesters were standing. Mutants cleared the way as the Brotherhood walked out from the crowd.

"Ah, X-Men," said Magneto. "Always afraid to make the first move...that's what makes you weak."

"Get out of here, Magneto," said Cyclops. "You're going to get some people hurt."

"Yes," replied Magneto. "Yes I will hurt some people...but they won't be mutants."

Magneto levitated himself into the air and then started throwing cars at the protestors. The protestors ran at the mutants, using signs, baseball bats and anything else, as weapons. The mutants and humans began to fight, causing a full blown riot on the streets.

"We got a situation here!" yelled Cannonball as two women grabbed on his arms and pulled on him.

Lifter pointed his hands at a group of protestors and eliminated gravity underneath them, causing them to float into the air. Angel grabbed the protestors and placed them on a rooftop for safety. However, the protestors began attacking Angel, causing him to fly away from the people he rescued.

Storm created strong winds to slow down the fighting. Wolverine found himself trying to get a mutant off of a human man, before he snapped the man's neck. Jean used her telekinesis to stop several mutants, including Mystique and Sabertooth from hurting the humans.

"Why are you protecting them?" asked Callisto to Kurt.

"We are trying to protect everyone," answered Kurt, who grabbed Callisto and teleported the both of them to a safe place before one of Magneto's cars landed on them.

"You are fools, X-Men!" yelled Magneto. "This is the war I've been warning about! The humans will not stop until every mutant has shed their own blood!"

Suddenly, the sound of sirens came and the SWAT team ran out onto the streets, breaking up the fighting. The Brotherhood vanished before the streets were filled with tear gas. The X-Men ran back to the jet, amidst the cloud of tear gas.

"Come with me," said Kurt to the Morlocks. "The streets of Mutant Town aren't safe."

"They were never safe," said Erg. "But this is our home."

"Don't you want to be with Jean-Paul?" asked Kurt. "I saw the way you look at him."

"I-I-I," Erg couldn't find the words to respond.

"The X-Men can protect you," said Kurt.

"It's Callisto's call," said Phat. "Whatever she wants to do."

"Make a decision, Callisto," said Archlight. "The police are coming closer."

"Ok," said Callisto. "Let's go with the X-Men."

The Morlocks held onto Kurt, who teleported them into the X-Jet right before it lifted off into the air.

The X-Men and the Morlocks entered the mansion, and everyone gathered around to see the new mutants. Jean-Paul turned bright red when he saw the handsome, Erg, coming off the X-Jet winking at him.

"Everybody," said Kurt. "The Morlocks have decided to join us."

Everyone cheered.

"We're still the Morlocks!" yelled Callisto. "We're just here to lie low until the violence stops in Mutant Town."

"We're glad to have you here," said Professor X. "You're always welcomes with open arms."

**Future Chapter 41: The Legacy Dies**

"We're approaching the lab," said Storm as the X-Jet landed in the middle of the Texan desert.

"Do you think they know we're here?" asked Nightcrawler.

"That's why we brought Cipher," said Storm with a smirk.

Cipher turned invisible and snuck into the lab facility of DAMS. She made her way down two hallways before entering a room with a giant computer in it. Cipher knocked out the three people in the room and then began typing on the computer. After entering in a password, the computer opened the gate allowing the X-Men into the facility.

The X-Men we're confronted by several armed guards. The guards began to shoot, but Hellion and Psylocke stopped all the bullets with their telekinesis. Cyclops then shot at the guards, clearing the way for the X-Men to enter the building.

More armed guards attacked the X-Men from inside the building. Colossus, Wolverine and Beast knocked out all the guards, while the others ran to Cipher.

"Cipher!" yelled out Cyclops.

"How are you doing?" asked Shadowcat.

"I found where they're keeping the Anti-Mutant Bombs," said Cipher. "It's a storage area three floors down from here."

"What about Leech and Plague?" asked Storm.

"They're on the floor above us," replied Cipher.

"Kitty and Bobby, go meet up with the guys and lead them to the Anti-Mutant Bombs before they use it against us," ordered Cyclops.

"Got it," said Shadowcat as she and Iceman ran out of room.

"Let's go save Leech and Plague," said Cyclops as he lead the rest of the team out of the room.

Shadowcat and Iceman ran back to where Wolverine, Colossus and Beast were.

"Look, she can't be away from you for even a minute," mocked Wolverine.

"This isn't the time to make stupid jokes," said an angry Shadowcat. "The Anti-Mutant Bombs are three levels below us. We have to destroy them before DAMS uses it on us."

"Let's go then!" yelled out Beast.

The four mutants ran down to the lower levels, knocking out guards that tried to stop them. Eventually they made it to the storage area where the bombs were being kept. Shadowcat phased through the locked door and unlocked it.

"How do we destroy them?" asked Colossus.

"If the temperature is low enough, the gas bombs won't work and the gas will be destroyed," said Beast.

"I'm on it!" yelled out Iceman as he froze all the Anti-Mutant Bombs.

In the upper level, the rest of the X-Men entered a lab where Leech and Plague was being held. Several scientist and armed guards tried to protect the two kidnapped mutants.

"Get out of here!" yelled one of the scientist.

Storm then created a wind within the lab, causing tables to flip over. Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Cipher, Hellion and Psylocked attacked the guards and scientist. After the fight was over, the X-Men that destroyed the gas bombs joined the rest.

"What do we do now?" asked Psylocke.

"I have the cure right here," said Beast as he took out a small glass tube of blue liquid.

Colossus woke up the sleeping Leech, who was tied down to a medical table.

"You saved me," said a weaken Leech. He was in his teenage years, but his mutant ability caused him to age slowly. His hair had fallen out and he had dark circles around his eyes because of the many blood transfusions that he had undergone.

"It's going to be okay now," said Shadowcat as she helped get Leech off the table.

"Now, what do we do?" asked Wolverine.

"Plague needs to drink the cure," said Beast.

Beast approached the sleeping Plague who was on the medical table next to Leech.

"They used her powers twice," said Leech. "She's dying."

"I'm sorry, Leech," said Beast. "But sometimes we have to make sacrifices for the good of all."

Suddenly, Plague slowly raised her right arm without opening her eyes.

"...Le-leech," said Plague in a dying voice. Leech approached the table and held Plague's hand.

"Be a good boy," said Plague. Leech began to cry as he let go of Plague's elderly hand. Storm pulled Leech away from the table, allowing Beast to feed the cure to Plague.

"Don't look," said Storm as she turned the boy around.

Plague started to shake and mumble before letting go of her last breath of air.

"Did it work?" asked Cyclops.

"We'll have to wait and see," said Beast.

The X-Men got back onto the X-Jet and headed towards the camp grounds. A radio message was coming through and Cyclops pressed a few buttons, allowing communication with the other mutants back at the camp grounds.

"Beast," said Emma's voice through the radio.

"Yes?" answered Beast.

"It worked. The news has reported that the Legacy Virus is mysteriously vanishing and mutants here at the camp are showing signs of recovery. Kavita is running a few test on the infected mutants. I'm cured and so is Cannonball, Wind Dancer and Quill." Everyone on the jet cheered.

"You did it Beast!" said Hellion.

"Yes," said Beast. "We did it...but the war is not over."

To be continued...


	42. Stories 42

**X-Men: Past, Present, Future**

"Death is the last enemy: once we've got past that I think everything will be alright,"- Alice Thomas Ellis

**Past Chapter 42: A True Leader**

"Emma and the Cuckoo babies are here!" yelled out Petra as she ran down the stairs to open the front door. Emma with the five Cuckoo babies walked in and were greeted by everyone.

"We thought we would drop by this afternoon," said Emma.

"It's always a pleasure having you here," said Charles. "You came at the right time too. We have a new girl staying with us. Her name is Marie...she's..."

"Mystique's daughter," finished Emma. "I think it would be best to keep that a secret from her."

"Yes, I believe that too," said Charles.

Everyone went into the living room, where Shiro had prepared tea and treats.

"Most of the students left for summer vacation," explained Charles. "The only students here right now are Ororo, Scott, Peter, Petra and Christian."

"I see," said Emma as she took a bite out of a cookie. "I guess I would use the down time to train the students in battle."

"Well, the only student that can battle is Christian," said Shiro. "The others here are too young."

"You're never too young to defend yourself," replied Emma.

"Can we get trained?" asked Scott to Charles.

"Yeah, can we?" asked Ororo. "Make us the Junior X-Men!"

"I don't know," said Charles. "You're awfully young."

"We're not that young," said Peter.

"Ok, fine," said Charles. "You can start training this summer."

The students cheered.

"We're the Junior X-Men!" yelled out Petra.

"Cool," said Christian. "Who's the leader?"

"What do you mean?" asked Peter.

"Every team needs a leader right?" asked Christian. "In my team, our leader is most likely Xi'an, because she's smart and takes initiative."

"I guess I'll be the leader then," said Scott.

"No way!" yelled Ororo. "I'll be the leader."

"You can't lead," said Scott.

"Yes I can!" said Ororo. "Much better than you."

"You got to be kidding me," said Scott. "I'm smart and I'll make an awesome leader."

"You'll be too busy making out with Jean!" yelled Ororo. "I'm tough and I can get things done!"

"So can I!" yelled Scott.

"Calm down," said Jono. "Why can't both of you be the leader?"

"I'm not going to share leadership with him!" Ororo screamed.

"I won't share with her!" yelled Scott.

"Enough!" yelled Emma. "We'll determine who can be the leader by having you two battle for leadership."

"Uh, Emma that doesn't sound like a good idea," said a weary Charles.

"Trust me," said Emma. "Hank, prepare the Danger Room."

"This can be a good time to test the new special visor I created for Scott," said Hank.

"New visor?" repeated an intrigued Scott.

Everyone made their way down to the Danger Room. Scott and Ororo were in the arena while everyone else was gathered on the observation deck. Scott was wearing a new visor that covered his eyes and allowed him to control his optic blasts.

"To determine who gets to be the leader, you're going to play a game of keep the flag," explained Emma. "There's a flag attached to the 20 foot wall. Grab the flag and don't let it get out of your hands. Whoever has the flag in their hands by the end of the three minute mark is the winner and will be the leader of the Junior X-Men. Got it?"

"Got it!" yelled Scott and Ororo.

"The time starts...Now!"

Ororo gathered a wind in the room to lift herself up in the air. She reached out to grab the black flag with the red X on it, but before she could, a laser beam hit the flag from its post on the wall. The flag fell to the ground and Scott grabbed it. An angry Ororo flew down and grabbed Scott's arm and threw him into the wall. Scott, still holding onto the flag, got up and shot an optic blast towards Ororo. Ororo dodged the attack and then created a rain cloud in the arena, causing the running Scott to slip on a puddle and let go of the flag. Ororo swooped down to grab the flag and then flew back up. Scott used his optic blast to attack Ororo, but she kept dodging the attacks. Ororo then flew back down and summoned a strong wind that blew Scott into a wall. Scott's visor fell off his face and a large optic blast almost hit Ororo, causing her to let go of the flag. Scott put his visor back on and saw that the flag was in the middle of the arena and that there was 10 seconds left on the clock.

"It's mine!" yelled out Scott as he ran for the flag.

"I'll be the leader!" yelled Ororo as she ran for the flag as well.

Ororo tried to summon another gust of wind but Scott shot an optic blast that narrowly missed Ororo's foot. On the last two seconds, Scott released another optic blast and Ororo created a huge gust of wind. The combination of the powerful attacks created a giant explosion. As the smoke started to clear, everyone looked down into the arena to see Ororo and Scott lying on the ground. After the smoke completely cleared, everyone could see that the flag was in Scott's hand.

"The winner is Scott!" yelled Emma.

Everyone except Emma and Charles ran down the observation deck to check on Scott and Ororo.

"That was incredibly violent," said Charles.

"It gives me an idea," said Emma with a smirk. "How would you feel about a Student Battle Tournament?"

**Present Chapter 42: Dazzler's Decision**

"Oh, baby I need you here with me," sang Jean-Paul as Alex walked into the bedroom. "I just want you by my side, kissing and holding me, while we take a ride..."

"Listening to some more Dazzler?" asked Alex.

"You know it," replied Jean-Paul as he turned down the music. "It reminds me of Roberto. I miss him."

"He's only in Brazil for vacation for another week," said Alex. "You'll survive."

"I still miss him," said Jean-Paul.

"How come you and your sister aren't back home in Montreal?" asked Alex.

"My mom and dad went to visit my aunt and uncle in Vancouver," explained Jean-Paul. "Me and Jeanne-Marie didn't want to go, so they said they would arrange flights for us to go to Montreal at the end of summer."

"I see," said Alex. "Well, I'm glad you and I can spend the summer together."

Alex grabbed Jean-Paul by the back of his collar and threw him on the bed. Alex then proceeded to get on top of Jean-Paul and kiss his cheek.

"Let's do it," said Alex as he bit Jean-Paul's ear.

"Yeah, let's not," said Jean-Paul.

"Feel my abs," Alex said as he took Jean-Paul's hand and made him touch his abs from under his shirt. "Nice, aren't they?"

"Yeah, they're nice."

"You know it's no fun to tease you and make you uncomfortable if you act this way," said Alex as he got off Jean-Paul.

"Sorry, Alex. But I'm totally in love with Roberto. Nothing can change that."

"What about Erg?"

"What?" Jean-Paul began to blush.

"I knew it!" yelled out Alex. "I knew you had a crush on him. Oh, Roberto isn't going to like that!"

"You know what-" Jean-Paul was interrupted by a small beeping sound from his phone.

Jean-Paul grabbed his phone off the table and looked at it.

"What is it?" asked Alex as he placed his head on Jean-Paul's shoulder.

"It's a notification from my Dazzler App," replied Jean-Paul. "It keeps me connected to news about Dazzler. From the last thing she ate to where she last shopped."

"Oh, so it's an App to stalk her?" joked Alex.

"OMG!" yelled out Jean-Paul.

"What is it?"

Jean-Paul ran out of the room with Alex following him behind. The two entered the living room where many of the students and teachers were.

"Did you hear?" yelled out Jean-Paul.

"Yes, we just heard," said Professor X.

"What is it?" asked Alex.

"Dazzler just came out..." said Jean-Paul. "As a mutant."

"It's on the news right now," said Professor X as he pointed to the television.

"After the recent riots in Mutant Town, more news from the Mutant community has just been reported. Pop-diva, Dazzler has just tweeted that she is a mutant. Her exact tweet was, "My heart goes out for the mutants in Mutant Town. I want peace for all, including my own mutant-kind." This comes to a shock to most of her fans, with 32% of fans being against mutant rights. At the moment, there is no word from her publicist or management, but during a time of tension between mutants and humans, Dazzler's career may be over after decades of recording hit music."

In a hotel suite, Dazzler and along with her publicist and manager were discussing the recent news.

"Why did you do this?" yelled her publicist.

"I didn't want to hide anymore," said Dazzler.

"But we just got your career back going after six years of you being hidden away," yelled the publicist.

"I'm sorry, but if I'm going to make music again and be back in the spotlight, I want to make sure it's the real me that's back in the spotlight."

"Why couldn't you wait until the end of the tour," asked a disgruntled manager. "We're going to lose millions in ticket sales and countries will ban you from performing on their soil!"

"Look, I want to be a role model for all mutants out there," said Dazzler. "For years I was Dazzler, making chart-topping hits and wearing outrageous outfits...but before that I was Alison. I was a girl who had mutants powers to create light, confused on who I was and what my place in life would be...I don't want other mutants out there to go through such a rough time...I want them to look up to me and realize their potential to be greater...to be beyond mutant."

"Did you ever once thought about the people who made your career happen?" asked the publicist. "We can't help you if you have no career after this! I have three mortgages to pay off!"

"I'm sorry, but this time it's not about the money," said Dazzler.

"It's always about the money!" yelled the manager. "This is a business. You are a business. You are a product!"

"I was able to get the press of your shoulders when you showed up to the Grammy's drunk," said the publicist. "And I defended your decision to wear fur on stage despite getting threats from PETA. Heck, I was able to spin that lesbian love affair you had with Madonna in your favor! But I can't protect you now! The world isn't ready for a mutant celebrity!"

"Enough, I'm going for a walk," said Dazzler as she put on her coat.

"The paparazzi are waiting for you to come out from the hotel, Alison," said the manager.

"I don't care."

Dazzler ran out of the hotel room and went down the lobby. She could see the flashes of light from cameras as she walked towards the glass doors that led her out of the hotel building and into the streets of New York. Dazzler tried to dodge the paparazzi, who kept getting closer and closer to her face as they took pictures of her. She could hear the screams of fans, some cheering her and some booing her.

Suddenly, a gunshot was heard and the crowd panicked. Three more gunshots were heard and then people saw the sight of a gunman standing over Dazzle's body, in a pool of blood. The gunman aimed the gun at Dazzler's head as paparazzi and fans took pictures of the scene.

"I loved you Dazzler," said the gunman. "I truly loved you...but why...why did you have to come out as a mutant? You can't be a mutant! You just can't!"

**Future Chapter 42: Battle in Time Square**

"It is all out riots and mayhem in Time Square as people and mutants have took the streets, attacking each other. Two days ago, the government has declared that mutants have no rights whatsoever. This has caused anger in the mutant community and anti-mutant supporters are taken advantage of the stripped rights in order to commit violence on mutants. Police are unable to help because of the stripped rights. But police are there to protect humans from any mutant attacks."

Cyclops turned off the radio and landed the X-Jet on a building a few blocks away from Times Square. The X-Men had only returned to the camps near Beast's hideout for two days before the news broke out about mutant rights being abolished. It had only been two days since the world was recovering from the impact of the Legacy Virus, and now all out war was breaking out.

"This is complete bullshit!" yelled Wolverine.

"That's why we're here," said Cannonball. "Let's go out there and fight...this is for Melody!"

The X-Men got out of the jet and made their way to Time Square. The streets were filled with violence as both mutants and humans attacked each other.

"Protect any mutant children!" yelled Cyclops.

Storm flew into the air and then created a rain storm. Wind Dancer, Cannonball and Angel flew into the air and began to scope the scene. Wolverine and Gambit fought off attacks from humans who brought weapons into the battle.

"This is all out war on the streets of New York," said Gambit as he made three cards explode at a man holding a butcher's knife.

"This is the war we've been waiting for," said Wolverine as he jumped on a man's back and stabbed him in the sides.

Beast pushed a group of woman off of a mutant girl who was being attacked by them. Beast then grabbed the girl and took her to a safe place. But the mutant girl flew into the air and began shooting out fireballs at the humans.

"You don't have to do this!" yelled Beast.

"I do," yelled the mutant girl. "I've had enough of this shit!"

Cyclops and Havok shot their energy blasts at humans who kept trying to attack them. Sunspot and Magma started fires that burned cars and made them explode. Angel grabbed a man off of a mutant boy and threw the man through a window of a building. Dust turned into a sandstorm and blew through a group of policemen holding guns. Psylocke and Hellion levitated objects into the air and threw them at the humans.

Hellion noticed Wind Dancer being thrown rocks at so he ran to her and used his telekinesis to stop the rocks. Hellion then levitated the people throwing the rocks into the air and threw them across the city.

"Thanks!" Wind Dancer said as she flew down to Hellion's side.

"I'm here to protect you," said Hellion.

"Julian...I have something to tell you," said Wind Dancer. "Remember when I went back to Florida to take care of some business?"

"Why are you saying this now while we're in a major battle?" asked Hellion.

"Just let me finish," said Wind Dancer. "I went back home to breakup with my boyfriend there. I wasn't too sure if I wanted to be with you when you confessed to me that you loved me 10 years ago...but I knew that if I was ready, I wanted to be free and single just for you."

Hellion then pulled Wind Dancer's face close to his and kissed her passionately. The sound of screaming and explosions muddled into the background, as the two mutants shared the moment of love and romance. Suddenly, a gunshot was heard and Hellion pushed Wind Dancer and saw that a bullet had been shot in her back. Hellion screamed as Wind Dancer's dying body collapsed into his arms. Suddenly, another gunshot was heard and Hellion fell to the ground. Both Hellion and Wind Dancer died.

On the other side of Time Square, Rogue was fighting off a group of men that had baseball bats. Rogue punched one man in the face and kicked another man. One man hit Rogue in the side, which made her fall to the ground. Before the man was able to attack her again, Nightcrawler teleported in the way and took the hit for Rogue. Rogue pushed the man to the ground and then touched his skin to put him into a coma. Rogue ran to Nightcrawler and helped him get up.

"Kurt, you idiot!" yelled Rogue.

"I was trying to protect my sister," said Nightcrawler.

"...thanks...brother," said Rogue. Nightcrawler smiled as he finally realized that Rogue had accepted that they were twins.

Suddenly, there was an explosion near where Rogue and Nightcrawler were standing. As smoke cleared, Rogue had been hit hard and was dying in Nightcrawler's arms. Gambit witnessed the scene and tried to run towards his love, but another explosion went off and killed Gambit as well.

"Gambit, no!" Cipher yelled out. She saw the scene unfold a few feet away. Before she could get to Gambit, a man punched her in the face. Cipher turned invisible and then attacked the man and threw him into a window of a building.

Shadowcat phased through rubble and broken cars to get to Colossus who was fighting off a group of humans. Shadowcat then helped her lover attack the humans. Suddenly, gunshots were fired and Shadowcat was hit by a bullet. Colossus screamed in agony as he grabbed his lover's body and cried.

Dust travelled in her sand form in the air and suddenly, she felt the impact of an explosion. The particles of sand gathered to form her physical body, but with a bleeding wound in the middle of her chest. Dust fell to the ground and died.

"Sooraya!" yelled Angel as he flew down to Dust's body. Suddenly, another explosion in the same spot appeared, which killed Angel.

White feathers from Angel's wings blew into the wind and one lightly graced Northstar's face as he flew into the air. Northstar realized Angel's death and looked for the his body in the crowd.

On the ground, Oya had one man's face in her right hand burning in a fire, a woman's neck in her left freezing to death. Oya then let go of the humans' dead bodies and ran towards Cannonball who was on the ground bleeding.

"Cannonball, what happened!" screamed Oya as she tried to help her fallen teammate.

"I w-was stabbed..." said Cannonball.

"Don't worry, I'll get you help," said Oya as she looked around for another X-Men for help.

Suddenly, gunshots were fired and Cannonball jumped up and pushed Oya on the ground, taking the gunshots in the back. "I'm going to be with Melody," Cannonball whispered. Oya screamed and cried as Cannonball's dead body fell on her.

Northstar spotted Angel and Dust's dead bodies on the ground. Northstar flew down and was about to pick up Angel's body but was hit on the head with a baseball bat by a human. Northstar was hit again before Erg came to his rescue and electrocuted the attacker.

"Thanks!" said Northstar.

"Now will you pick me?" Erg asked with a smile.

"Erg, we can't-" suddenly a blast of fire came out from behind the two mutants. The fire came from Sunspot, who burned an attacker who was behind Northstar and Erg.

"Stop fooling around," yelled Sunspot as he flew into the air.

Havok ran to Mystique's side and helped her fight off two men who were attacking her. Mystique was then stabbed in the back two times by a woman who ran off after the attack. Havok grabbed Mystique's body, and looked at her face. She was smiling before she died in his arms.

Jubilee threw sparks at a group of humans attacking Iceman. Iceman nodded as he got up and then turned into his ice form and began making the ground around him icy. Humans tried to get close to him but slipped and fell. Jubilee giggled at the sight and Iceman winked at her and smiled.

Melter melted a car before it hit him and Lil'Bro. Lil'Bro then used his telepathy to cause terrible headaches from the group of men who threw the car at them. The two mutants then ran away but accidently, got on the slippery icy ground that Iceman recently made, causing them to fall and knock Iceman to the ground. Magma came and melted the ice, shaking her head in disapproval at the laughing mutants.

Storm flew to the ground and punched a woman who was about to attack Cyclops from behind. Storm then created a small tornado that blew a group of cops that were coming at them.

"Thanks, Storm," said Cyclops. "You know you and I make a good team. We should have been co-leaders a long time ago."

"Yeah, well we obviously both had huge egos back then," said Storm. "But it's ok now. We do make a good team."

Suddenly, an explosion near them sent Storm flying into the air. Storm looked back and saw Cyclops, wounded on the ground. Storm flew to Cyclops' side and saw Nightcrawler a few feet away. She called for him and told him to take Cyclops back to the X-Jet.

Wolverine jumped into the air and stabbed a cop in the back before attacking two other officers who were coming at him. Wolverine turned around and saw Beast and Quill fighting off a group of men. There was an explosion at the scene, and only Beast was left barley standing, while Quill was on the ground, dead.

Psylocke saw Oya crying over Cannonball's body and flew down to the ground. Psylocke, trying to fight off tears of her own, grabbed the devastated Oya and tried to pull her away.

"No!" Oya yelled. "We have to help him."

"There's nothing we can do," said Psylocke. "We have to go!"

Psylocke and Oya heard an explosion nearby and began running. Oya was running in the front when suddenly, she heard gunshots. She turned around to see Psylocke falling to the ground and dying in the rubble. Oya didn't turn back because she knew she would die next if she did. Oya kept running and running, as she felt the pain in her heart for both Cannonball and Psylocke.

The humans began to clear the streets and the mutants also retreated. Only the sound of car alarms and burning fires could be heard from the street of Time Square. The X-Men made their way back to the X-Jet. Everyone was crying over the loss of their teammates.

"We shouldn't have gone," said Oya. "We loss too many today!"

"We had to do what we had to do," said Cyclops as he attended to his wounds.

"I should have stuck with Quill," cried Magma.

"It's ok," said Jubilee as she comforted her friend.

A beeping sound was heard from the radio. Beast turned on the radio, and heard the voice of Kavita and Emma through the transmission.

"Beast, are you there?" asked Emma.

"Yes, what is it?" Beast replied.

"There's been an ambush at the camp," said Emma. "DAMS found out where we were hiding. They killed many. There's less than three hundred of us left."

"Dr. Reyes and I are attending to those who survived," said Kavita.

"Where are you now?" asked Beast.

"We're hiding in a church in Brooklyn," Emma answered. "Get here now."

"We're on our way," said Storm.

Storm looked back from the pilot seat to see the defeated looks on the X-Men's face. She knew she had to say something to lift the spirits of the X-Men.

"It will be alright, everyone," said Storm as she turned back around and piloted the jet to Brooklyn. "There may be some rain now...but the sun will shine again."

**Mutants who died:**

Wind Dancer

Hellion

Psylocke

Cannonball

Quill

Mystique

Rogue

Gambit

Dust

Shadowcat

Angel

To be continued...


End file.
